Focus
Directed by: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Written by: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, Adrian Martinez, Robert Taylor, BD Wong, Brennan Brown
Comedy/Crime/Drama/Romance - 104 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 26 Feb 2015
Written by: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, Adrian Martinez, Robert Taylor, BD Wong, Brennan Brown
Comedy/Crime/Drama/Romance - 104 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 26 Feb 2015
Films about con men and grifters succeed or fail based on two factors: a sharp script which keeps you guessing until the final reveal and the chemistry between the romantic leads. Matchstick Men (2003) and The Sting (1973) are examples of where it all comes together through both story and acting winning on all counts. Confidence (2003) and The Brothers Bloom (2008) are not necessarily examples of lackluster hustler films but they represent the second tier. Will Smith’s mega-budget con man film, Focus, arrives assuredly in the third tier; the ones where something doesn’t connect. The story isn’t tight and doesn’t reel you in and the chemistry between Smith and his leading lady is a tad cold and incongruent.
Focus’s first half takes place at a Super Bowl. It’s not a real Super Bowl with any teams you will recognize because there is no way the NFL will license its images to a film based on the fact that a whole bunch of crime and vice is associated with the year’s largest and most recognizable sports match. Nicky (Will Smith, 2014’s Winter’s Tale) and his crew exploit all the suckers who come out to party and sin at large events like the Super Bowl and use every con in their large encyclopedia of tricks to steal money, jewelry, credit card numbers, and anything else of value.
Focus’s first half takes place at a Super Bowl. It’s not a real Super Bowl with any teams you will recognize because there is no way the NFL will license its images to a film based on the fact that a whole bunch of crime and vice is associated with the year’s largest and most recognizable sports match. Nicky (Will Smith, 2014’s Winter’s Tale) and his crew exploit all the suckers who come out to party and sin at large events like the Super Bowl and use every con in their large encyclopedia of tricks to steal money, jewelry, credit card numbers, and anything else of value.
Focus’s best scenes are montages of the crew creating a distraction while they pick pockets, slip watches off wrists, snatch purses and suitcases, and palm credit cards. The team’s rookie, Jess (Margot Robbie, 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street) wants in on the action and it appears the only reason she makes Nicky’s team of professional crooks is because of her looks. I wonder just how effective she would be at the game of snatch and grab because she cannot blend into a crowd; her appearance separates her from the other crew members, especially from one of the more memorable characters, Fatass Farhad (Adrian Martinez, 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
Jess and Nicky hit it off and engage in a back and forth, steamy honeymoon like encounter during the long Super Bowl weekend. When all is said and done though, Nicky drops her like a picked through wallet; the film bisects itself in two jumping ahead three years. Nicky is casing another job in exotic Buenos Aires amongst the Formula One racing circuit and of course, Jess waltzes right into Nicky's line of sight throwing a wrench in his perfectly oiled wheels and cogs of deceit. They reignite their cat and mouse game of 'will they or won’t they' until Nicky realizes Jess is the girlfriend of his mark, race team owner Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro, 2014’s Rio 2). Garriga’s henchman, Owens (Gerald McRaney, HBO’s House of Cards), is openly hostile to Nicky knowing he’s up to no good and is ready to pounce on the slightest sign of shenanigans.
Will Smith is one of the world’s most recognizable, and for a time one of its most bankable, actors. Is Focus Will Smith material or is he slumming it a bit trying to ease back onto the movie screen after the debacle of 2013’s After Earth? Smith made a few cameos between then and now but this is his first major film role back. I wonder if casting such a famous face as a con man is the most effective choice because I could not get lost in this movie. That wasn’t Nicky and Jess rolling around on that hotel bed; that was Will Smith and the girl from The Wolf Wall Street. That wasn’t Nicky succumbing to his gambling addiction at the Super Bowl; that was Will Smith lugging around a suitcase containing over a million dollars. By the way, Focus accepts it as the most regular occurrence on Earth for folks to walk around with suitcases stuffed full of cash at the Super Bowl. Anyways, Will Smith doesn’t have to use any serious acting chops, the plot is mostly straight forward, and he gets a lot of one on one time with Margot Robbie.
Thumbs up to Focus for doing itself a favor in the taking your time department. Some films try to be smarter than they really are and rush to the next twist or ‘You never saw that one coming’ moment. Focus allows Smith and Robbie a lot of space to verbally spar and flirt with each other over soft keyboard chords. However, I do not pick up the chemistry between the two of them; there is a noticeable 22-year age difference etched across their faces – think Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn or Michael Douglas and any of the dozen or so far too young actresses he was paired up with.
Whether or not Focus aids Will Smith in his career comeback, history will consider it one of his minor roles and Focus will not vault into anyone’s mind when creating a list of the best con men films. At least there is no role for one of the Smith children to strut and preen in. While Focus wisely avoids sprinting between plot twists and reveals, it could use a bit more get up and go in the pacing department. Focus is a film with two distinct halves and the audience will recognize the first half’s briskness does not match the second half’s mindfulness. Here’s hoping Will Smith finds his footing here and moves on to sharper material.
Comment Box is loading comments...
