Focus

Just watched "Focus", a movie which made some buzz 2-3 years ago mainly because the rumored romance between the two main actors, Will Smith and Margot Robbie. I don't know what they actually did off-screen, but on-screen they have no chemistry at all.

Focus is a movie about con-artists. It doesn't try to follow the steps of "The Sting" or "Ocean's eleven", but it has the same goal, to confuse the audience on who is playing who... and here is where the problems are starting to arise...

The plot is paper thin and every con seems unnecessary and overcomplicated. There aren't that too many cons to begin with, but every one of them seems forced. A futile effort from the writers, to "amaze" the audience.

You see, to make the audience to expect a twist is basically a bad thing. Even the average viewer had, possibly, better twists in mind than those in "Focus". More plausible and more fun to watch. Here the tricks are too over-the-top in their execution to swallow, and overall unimpressive, leaving a bad aftertaste...

The movie looks colorful, but the acting is pale. Will Smith seems bored possibly because of an early realization that this movie won't work.

Overall: Not a satisfying movie, including the lukewarm ending. The twists you expecting from a con-artist's movie are there, but they are unclever and forced. Maybe its time to dust that DVD of "The Sting" from the selves...

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Master con-man Nicky 'Mellow' Spurgeon (Will Smith) is intrigued by amateur thief Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie). He shows her a few moves. She tracks him down later which he expected. She begs him to be her mentor and he lets her into his crew running cons in New Orleans. However at the end, he leaves her behind. Three years later, he's running a con and is surprised to see Jess again in Buenos Aires.

This is meant to be a fun caper movie and it is just that at times. I really like Margot Robbie whenever she plays up her fun side. Will Smith could smile a little more and have a bit more fun. They seem to have fun flirting but the movie needs more moments of fun. This pairing has potential which is not fully realized.

Will Smith is back in Hitch: How to Get the Girl, Also Some Cash. There's overwhelming opulence, exotic setting and beautiful ladies at display here for the grand dramatization of thievery. It showcases a glamorous lifestyle, riches and ladies, portrayed by the charismatic leads. However, the movie recycles this material too often and having too much investment in lovey-dovey banters does wear the tension thin.

Story follows Nicky (Will Smith), a veteran thief who meets with Jess (Margot Robbie), an aspiring thief. Together they embark on a swindling journey, manipulating people and each other into giving what they want. Led by the charismatic Will Smith, Focus boasts an interesting anti-hero. He's very versatile, able to perform in comedic as well as more serious tone. Robbie has a wide range of acting too, she seems natural although sometimes leaning heavily on femme fatale cliché.

This is at heart a romance movie, with the backdrop of felony, not the other way around. The liaison aspect is scrutinized deeper than the actual thefts. This should be fine as both Smith and Robbie are capable leads, but it tends to lose momentum after the many times it uses "He loves me, he loves me not" gimmick. It's more of a light relationship than an intense trickery exchange, while pretty entertaining it's barely enough to keep the suspense.

The film possesses a stylish colorful cinematography. Design for costume and the vista are very suave, something out of a page of rich people magazine. It offers fantasy celebrity nuance, a brighter side of crime, so to speak. Its choice of soundtracks reflects it as well, playing classy tunes to serenade heist and courtship. While the plans might not be masterful, there are some good plot twists to unveil here.

With fascinating set and actors Focus is a decent drama film, but to reach thrilling suspense it needs to focus more on plundering instead of plowing.

Focus is not a really good movie. It's not a really bad movie either though. If you don't have a problem with Will Smith (and his relationship in this movie), you might be able to enjoy this. There are a couple of things in here, that are nicely told and shot (like the explanation or "how-to" guide).

We concentrate on Will Smith and the movie tries to keep things mysterious which works at times, though the resolution of most of those mysteries are mostly disappointing. If you don't care for that, there is light fun to be had here. The chemistry sometimes is not what the movie will or would want you it to be, but overall it's a decent con movie

The title "Focus" had potential among the quantitatively declining Con- Artist genre. Although brilliantly centered and set up with a decent cast and setting - the execution of intelligent criminal activity was poor and often justifying or explaining trickery and illusion as "he's just so good at it." - failing to satisfy the audience with an insight into the brilliance that is a con-centered plan.

I love heist movies. I love intricate con movies. I love crime movies and I'm sad to say this doesn't really come close to fitting anywhere between those genres best and brightest. Instead you're left feeling slightly amused, slightly tired, slightly relieved that it's over but kind of happy you saw it anyway - I dread to think how badly this movie would have been were it not for will smith.