[Music] e e e e e e e e Hello friends how are you guys friends this is not a movie this is a full detail review and fact video about this movie if you want to know about this movie then you must like this video because in today's video we will tell you what is its story which actors and actresses have worked in this film the director producer cameraman of this film is going to talk about them in detail we will talk about the post-production pre-production budget and filming of this film The starcast of the film will also give details about The Supporting Cast and production guys if you want to know about this movie you must watch this video you will find all the details of this movie in this video what is the story of this movie If you like this video then share it with your friends and subscribe our Channel focus is a 2015 American crime cometer drama film written and directed by Glenn fera and John Ray starring Will Smith and Margaret Robbie the plot follows a career con artist who takes an aspiring fem F toal under his wing the film was released on February 27th 2015 it received mixed reviews from critics but was a success at the box office grossing $158 million against its $50 million budget fil film plot season conman Nikki Spurgeon meets inexperienced grifter Jess Barrett who tries to seduce and con him with a fake jealous husband when they fail Nikki advises them never to lose focus when faced with unexpected situations he follows Jess convincing her to have drinks Nikki tells her how his father Bucky shot his grandfather in a standoff explaining the Toledo panic button tactic in which you shoot your partner to show your loyalty Jess follows Nikki to New Orleans successfully persuading him to take her under his wing where she also meets Nikki's crew including farad and H picking a few pockets as a test Nikki and Jess develop a romantic relationship upsetting Nicki whose father taught him to never become emotionally involved with colleagues at the Super Bowl Nikki gets into a round of increasingly extravagant Bets with Gambler Leu and C eventually losing all of the money the crew has earned to win it back Nikki asks C to pick any player on or off the field and has justess guessed the number picked destroy J scans the field sees far had wearing jersey number 55 and realizes it is another con they take C for Millions Nikki later explains howy had been programmed to pick 55 from his arrival with subtle subliminal prompts throughout his day this Victory leaves C impressed who even graciously gives all the money back to Nikki Nikki leaves Jess with her cut and instructs the driver to take her to the airport she cries as her limo drives off as he climbs into another waiting car 3 years later Nikki goes to buas Iris to work for billionaire Motorsport team own own Raphael gager as gager wants to beat Australian businessman mcan's team in the championship Nikki will pretend to be Gaga's team's disgruntled technician who's willing to sell his custom fuel using algorithm xer instead he will sell muua bogus version which will actually slow their car down at a pre-race party Nikki runs into Jess who is now with gager after heavy drinking upon seeing Jess Nikki has a convincing public fight with gager and after being thrown out is recruited by mccuan to provide the component Nikki begins pursuing Jess again and they eventually rekindle their relationship the head of Gaga's security Entourage Owens is suspicious and narrowly misses catching them together Nikki not only delivers the real component to McKuen for €3 million e but also sells it to the other teams for similar amounts before Nikki and Jess can return to the us together they are caught by Gaga's men Jess is bound and her mouth is taped shut whilst Nikki is beaten Gaga is convinced that she helped Nikki gain access to ex begins to suffocate her to save Jess Nikki explains that he tricked her into believing he still had feelings for her and the necklace he had given her secretly recorded gara's password and login information Jess was conned and knew nothing about it however she then revealed she was only trying to seduce Gaga to steal his valuable watch but had not actually got close enough to Gaga for Nikki's story to be true Nikki then promises to come clean to spare Jess life but Owen shoots him in the chest causing a horrified gager to leave Owens then reveals himself to be Bucky and assures Jess that he avoided any major arteries by employing the Toledo panic button he then tapes up Nikki's wounds and draws excess blood from his lung with a syringe so he can breathe they flee the garage in Gaga's vehicle Bucky drives Nikki and Jess to the hospital to treat Nikki's punctured lung before he drops them off he reveals why he's left him on the streets during a poker deal in Boston he had a gun pulled on him and all he could think about then was Nikki he then walked away and never looked back after emphasizing that love will get one killed in the game Bucky departs with all the money as a reminder of the consequences of losing focus after he leaves Nikki notices that Jess snatched Gaga's $200,000 watch and a smiling Nikki and Jess walk towards the hospital entrance together cast Smith as Nikki Spurgeon Margaret Robbie as Jess Barrett Rodrigo Santoro as rapael garan Gerald mccraine as Bucky Spurgeon Owens Adrian Martinez as farad BD Wong is leonc Robert tayor as McKuen Dominic fusa as Jared molski Brennan Brown is H Griff first is Gareth Juan minen is bman Stephanie honor as Janice Rebecca Highland as Mrs Grover uned production Apollo Robbins served as a consultant conceiving in choreographing original slate of hand Maneuvers directors fura and Ray stated Apollo is the foremost expert in his field and is an inspiration to us the directing Duo and production designer Beth ml made a scouting trip to Buenos Iris in June and a second trip with producers Denise dinovi and Mark scon in which they finally settled to shoot in the neighborhoods of Selma Puerto Madero barakus rtio rolta and palamo as well as Eiza airport and a few hotels six Neil Smith spoke at the digital cinema Society Forum dropping several hints as to the identity of a film being Ed in Final Cut Pro X in a December 2013 presentation this would make Focus the largest production yet completed in apples Inc program filming principal photography began on September 14th 2013 in New Orleans and moved over to Buenos Iris on November 19 2013 for 3 weeks the last day of shooting in Argentina was on December 10th seven filming wrapped in New York City on December 17 20138 release theatrical release the film was released released in 2015 in the US and Germany nine on January 29th 2015 Warner Bros at a Max Corporation announced that they would digitally remaster the film into the immersive ax DMR format also for release on the same date 10 home media Focus was released on DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on June 2nd 2015 reception box office Focus grossed $ 53.9 million in North America and 104.9 million in other territories for a total gross of $18.8 million against a production budget of 50.1 million five the film gross $6.4 million in its opening day $7.6 million on its second day and $4.6 million on its Third Day totaling $18.7 million in its opening weekend while playing in 3d3 23 theaters a 5 $623 per theater average finishing first place at the box office 13 the film was also released in the theaters of 39 markets of other territories in same weekend of its North America release and grows an estimated $12.2 million its biggest territories where the United Kingdom $13 million Rush a $3.1 million and Netherlands do 17658 32 critical response on Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 56% based on 228 reviews with an average rating of 5.81 the sight's consensus reads Focus may have a few too many twists and turns but it nearly skates by on its glamorous setting and the charm of its Stars 16 on Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 42 critics indicating mixed or average reviews 17 audiences ped by cinemascore gave the film a grade of B on an app plus to f scale 18 Richard rer of the Chicago sometimes called it sheer Escapist entertainment from start to finish 19 the Free Press Journal called the film smart slick but shallow 20 Nick deeman of Empire wrote this is maximum Bloss entertainment with its fair share of Trixie rug pools but like one of the neon-colored cocktail Smith drinks in it it's more of an immediate rush than something ya remember in a year 21 film review gorgeous people in expensive clothing trade Snappy banter in luxurious locations it's all giddy fizzy fun until it isn't anymore in Focus but co-stars Will Smith and Margaret Robbie remain consistently charismatic even once the script for this Heist Caper collapses in a punishing pile of its own twists and double crosses for Smith Focus functions as a return to form which admittedly sounds odd in describing a box office Titan who hasn't really gone anywhere in the past quarter Century but recent years haven't treated him so kindly between the ponderous 7 pounds the forgettable Men in Black 3 and the disastrous After Earth here as a veteran con man Smith seems looser Charming as ever but also broken commanding yet vulnerable it's as if he's finally shifted into the right gear as he settles into middle-aged good Lord is the eternally boyish and buoyant Smith approaching 50 and he's comfortable there for Robbie Focus CS her status as a major star after a hilarious and head turning supporting performance in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street where she nearly stole the whole Behemoth of a film out from underneath a larger than life Leonardo DiCaprio the Australian actress proves she's just as Fierce as a Leading Lady it's not just the that just stunningly beautiful and impossibly photogenic which she is she also has great instincts and a flare for Comic timing with a playfulness that's as powerful as her sex appeal the film from the rding directing Duo of Glenn fera and John Ray gives these actors plenty of brisk and snappy material to work with both individually and as a team in various forms but like fura and requires 2011 comedy Crazy Stupid Love Focus begins promisingly and Bops along enjoyably for a while only to run out of steam in the third Act at the start those Smiths Nikki and Robbie's Jess enjoy crackling chemistry as strangers trying to outsmart each other over wine and Candlelight at an upscale Manhattan Restaurant the way cinematographer Xavier Perez grit often shoots them sitting opposite each other at a table in an opulent setting bathed in sultry light is reminiscent of the Steven Soderberg classic out ofsight in ways that surely can't be a coincidence she's a smalltime hustler trying to weasle her way into more lucrative gigs he's been at this game his whole life and has major operations down to a science once each of them realizes the truth about the other if such a thing as truth is possible in a movie about con artists she begs him to teach her everything he knows this leads to a scene that's one of the film's highlights as they flirtatiously dance around each other in a snowy Lincoln Center with Nikki preaching the importance of taking away a Mark's Focus while pocketing every last one of Jeff's belongings then it's off to new orans where Nikki reluctantly lets Jess join the massive team he's assembled to snatch watches and wallets from the unsuspected ing revelers ho gathered for a major professional football championship whatever you do don't call it the Super Bowl turns out just a natural a massive distraction in a tight dress with a light touch as revealed in a beautifully edited sequence amid the crowds of Bourbon Street and Jess distracts nicky2 as the thrill of the wrongness of it all gives way to not entirely convincing Romance the Superdome itself provides the setting for the film's tour to fource sequence in which Nikki's gambling habits put him in serious Peril with a high roller and amusing BD wand luxury Suite this section of the movie could function as its own freestanding short film it has such a strong Arc and it provides such a heady mix of tension and laughs I wouldn't dream of giving away its many surprises but I will say this you will never listen to The Rolling Stones overused Sympathy for the Devil in a film the same way ever again if Focus could have ended there it would have been a dazzling little gem but it keeps going traveling to buos Iris 3 years later their Nikki is running another scheme for wealthy race team owner gag Rodrigo Santoro involving duping his competitors with some high-tech thingy that makes cars go faster what the device does isn't important but the way Nikki uses it to manipulate everyone around him is what sets up the film's climax albeit in rather flimsy fashion Gerald mccraine does get to enjoy some truly lacerating language as Gaga's Gruff and mistrustful right-hand Mana similarly Adrien Martinez supplies his share of laugh out loud lines as Nikki's lwd longtime sidekick more importantly buenos iris is where where Nikki reunites with Jess who's now enjoying a life of wealth and comfort as Gaga's girlfriend of all the Gin joints in all the world right but while Jess insists she's left her life of crime behind nothing in focus is ever that easy as vibrant as these characters are there's not much to them beneath their glossy surfaces which makes it difficult to become emotionally invested in whether they end up together or whether that sort of ordinary human connection is even possible in this extraordinary World Nikki at least has a backstory about a cold-hearted Father which is in intended to explain his inherent cynicism Jess isn't even afforded that much characterization we know in a movie like this that we and the audience are being played just as much as the poor fools on screen in theory that's part of the fun trying to stay a step ahead of the action and often failing but focus is All Surface all artifice to the point where we can't help but expect the duplicity and the twist come so fast and furious toward the end they feel more like Overkill than a shock the trick that makes Robbie's character such an expert thief her light touch is the very thing the movie loses toward the end heist movies come and go but a good con film is little different trouble in Paradise The Sting The Spanish Prisoner these are films more about manipulating people than just stealing something Focus which stars Will Smith as a master con man and Margaret Robbie as his new Apprentice spends much of its running time convincing you it is the best entry into the genre in years alas this is merely a setup as the film's second half eventually reveals that it's all been a facade once the scaffolding crumbles were left on a limping getaway we didn't land the Big Score but we did Come Away with a few sparkly trinkets Focus opens in a Swank New York restaurant where small Tom griffed Jess Robbie thinks she spotted a mark in Nikki Smith he plays along out of curiosity then takes pity as the colored lights of Midtown Manhattan Shimmer against Lincoln centers snow doed campus Nikki playfully educates Jess in the art of the psychological grift it is one of many remarkable scenes that directors Glenn fera and John rqua Sho and in a very straightforward manner taking advantage of the obvious Beauty right in front of them usually the phrase very visual is critic's code for complex camera moves or unusual angles but it can just as well mean casting gorgeous actors in breathtaking costumes and plopping them in a great Urban or interior setting the hotels and H clubs in Focus are extraordinarily furnished and Smith and Robbie look Splendid gallivanting among them they are both terrific in this especially relative newcomer Robbie who shows tremendous comedic range the film's action soon heads to New Orleans where a big football game not the Super Bowl though should lawyers be watching has the town swimming in Easy Money Jess fits in nicely with Nikki's crew as they Bop around the French Quarter boosting wallets and watches they do brisk business gobbling up every bag and briefcase they can find that is until the twist comes and Nikki manipulates Jess into helping him pull off an enormous and admittedly ludicrous con inside the Superdome if the projector broke after the New Orleans job and I stopped watching their ID be over the moon about this picture unfortunately after a 3 years later card we meet up with Nikki in Buenos Iris as he starts planning a con involving a car race he isn't trying to steal but to infiltrate an opposing team and slip them a finger magic that will lead them to think they have an edge but will actually do just the opposite it's a little confusing and gets more so when characters from the past keep showing up even in this second half which is considerably less steam than the first Focus must be applauded for sticking to its Mission there's not a whisp of moralizing within 50 ft of this film theft on a large and small scale is considered a noble art there's also a sense of sexual cander wafting throughout Jess doesn't exactly encourage leery but she seems somewhat at peace with the chauvinism of her chosen profession hello I'm right here she cries out in one of the funnier moments when one of Nikki's colleagues makes a lwd remark like a bond villainous the power of feminine WS is presented as a piece of equipment men have upper body strength women have battered eyelashes the final third is obviously building to some rug from under you reveal and all 'll say is that while I knew something was coming it's a Twist that no one will be able to predict this is partially why it is somewhat disappointing as it feels like fura and Ray went so far a field as a mandate hard to get too upset though when you rerun certain scenes in your head it all checks out plus Margaret Robbie looks so damn beautiful with her hair backlit by the street lamps in the final scenes ya realize that's more interesting than any farfetched plot pretzels it's almost as if the movie is trying to focus your attention elsewhere you know where you stand with a caper movie slippery as an eel light as a Goose feather and populated by Attractive people telling each other porkys it will inevitably feature a seasoned grifter reciting hard one knowledge to a scrappy upstart does Hammers and Nails Will Smith Whispers to margar Robbie and focus you decide which you want to be fortunately she doesn't ask how to figure out if you're an electric drill as this exchange implies the latest entry in the category of film that is CA do Swindle is a rather over familiar confection but at least it's rarely as generic as its startingly first base title and while the route it takes is one that's been traveled cinematically many times before it has enough Dazzle along the way to make it worth a watch Smith and Robbie slip easily into their roles frequently cast as an authority figure most recently in the joyless After Earth Smith rebels in the opportunity to play sulick Hustler Nikki and Robbie gives as good as she gets marvelously gutsy as pickpocket Jess part romantic comedy part jeda Padawan training drama focus is a fine showcase for their chemistry and no doubt the reason they will be reunited in next year's Suicide Squad writer directors Glenn fera and John requ the minds behind Crazy Stupid Love manage for the most part to freshen up the formula with Nifty slate of hand the opening set piece starts with a pair meeting in conventional romcom style and ends as something much sneakier as Nikki and Jess put their cards on the table and recognize each other as Kindred Spirits there's a wonderful Tata moment over a brunch in a cafe as the scale of Nikki's operation is revealed in one standout sequence we track a villainous henchman as he goes about his business killing time until he ambushes Our Heroes the problem is that overall the movie is just a little too light gliding smoothly from one situation to the next Nikki is a character for whom everything comes effortlessly as a Gruff foulmouthed enforcer snapping at his heels Gerald mccrany displays more personality in one scene than Smith is allowed during his entire screen time he's a for a fun companion for the ride but difficult to root for when the guano hits the fan in the third act Jess is more interesting but it's one of those films that's only as gripping as the bit of plot wistin that's going on at any given time speaking of which the Highlight is a 10-minute sequence at the mercedesbenz Superdome in New Orleans so self-contained it could work as a short film it guest stars BD Wong as a giggling filth attached billionaire who challenges Nikki to a high stakes B and quickly spirals into a hugely suspenseful assured piece of Cinema it's at this point that Focus flies hey remember that time when Will Smith wasn't completely insufferable look I don't much care about how celebrities behave or misbehave in their real lives if I took it personally every time I found out someone in Hollywood is a pompous arrogant jerk ID have a really hard time being a movie fan normally I'm pretty good about separating someone's on screen work from their real life persona but in the case of Will Smith The Divide is so thin as to be almost non-existent you can use the Lego movies prophecy concerning the special to describe essentially every role Smith has played in the past decade and you get the sense that he really does believe himself to be the greatest most interesting most important person of all time but I suppose we should talk about his latest movie focus focus is about the greatest most interesting most important con man of all time who runs a massive but highly efficient team of petty Crooks to make millions of dollars off of stolen cash jewelry and identities he comes across a stunningly beautiful con lady who tries to steal from him but because he's the greatest most interesting most important con man of all time he sees through her in an instant leading her to drop everything and pine for his affection like a lost puppy after that he goes on to get everything he wants and prove that he's smarter than everyone else in the world the end that's it that's literally the whole movie there's no interesting angle no real obstacles to overcome just while Smith smirking his way through the film's oppressive 104 running time constantly explaining how much smarter he is than everyone else that's the movie fatal floor as much as I dislike Smith there's an interesting movie to be made here heist movies are fun it's fun to watch charismatic criminals beat the odds and prove that they are the smartest one in the room but in order for it to work their needs to be real odds for them to beat there are none here Smith doesn't have a character flaw that threatens to muck things up he never gets in over his head he's never made he never even lets his affections for Margaret Robbie's Jess get in the way of his criminal work the movie teases that each of these things might be a factor only to immediately say LOL JK this was part of the plan all along little Smith is too awesome to have flaws and you know that makes for a really dull movie every time you think hey this might finally be getting interesting the film jettison all of its potential Drama by the third time this happens with half the running time left to go you realize the movie isn't interested in telling a compelling story it's just another vehicle for Will Smith to show how awesome he is in putting a lot of emphasis on the star here which normally isn't something I do but it's hard to avoid in this case because the no purpose to this film Beyond showing that Will Smith's character is this incredible superhuman figure who can do no wrong it bends over backwards to avoid having any kind of dramatic Stakes or narrative arcs or human emotion the entire point is look at how cool this guy is he's cooler than everyone even you it's frustrating because the film constantly threatens to be about something more at one point it threatens to be about this great con man who is undermined by a gambling problem at another point it looks like it might be about this Steely Criminal being transformed by The Power of Love at yet another it looks like maybe it's a Revenge story about a scorned Apprentice who has come back to outsmart their teacher sure all of these stories have been done a thousand times before but they've been done so many times because they feature classical storytelling instead Focus introduces the potential for these other stories as misdirection and a misguided twist The Twist being that the film never intends to raise the stakes or have an arc it's just going to be variations on the same thing we saw in the first 10 minutes of the film look I realize that not all films need to or even necessarily should conform to classical storytelling methods I love it when a movie flies in the face of what we expect to achieve a greater point or challenge the audience in interesting ways Focus doesn't do that it doesn't criticize the success of its protagonist Like the Wolf of Wall Street or create a terrifying metaphor for the cold brutality of unchecked capitalism like Nightcrawler as far as I can tell the entire point is nothing more than highlighting how awesome Will Smith's character is if some someone else can find greater meaning in this film's ENT refusal to have any kind of dramatic Stakes ID be more than happy to hear it but if it's there I couldn't see it every movie star is a con artist of sorts seducing audiences into forking over millions by adopting a character bigger than him or herself but what to do when the streak falters Will Smith made his film debut as a high society scammer in Six Degrees of Separation and now a bit more than 21 years later he's back at the hustle in focus a sexy slate of hand Caper that feels Small Time by the 10 PA Kings standards though a solid opening ought to prove Smith's ongoing drawing power and that there is life after the commercial debacle of 2013's After Earth lightly directed by The Duo responsible for Crazy Stupid Love This Suave if quick to dissipate divertisment shrewdly recasts the star in the George Clooney mold a good look for the next stage of Smith's career with the rare exception of 2005's hit hitch romance hasn't really been Smith's bag some Stars build their entire careers On It While others hardly ever let love factor into their work as those developing material for Dwayne Johnson no The Rock don't do romance for example in the two decades since Jerry Brammer got his hooks in him with Bad Boy Smith has mostly LED with his Swagger whereas here he dips into the vulnerability that served him well in riskier outings such as the pursuit of happiness with focused the whole movie hinges on whether we believe he's met his match can one woman possibly break through and tame him from the moment Smith's Nikki Spurgeon first sets eyes on Jess The Wolf of Wall Street stunner Marg at Robbie he never misses a beat as he quickly sizes up her scan he notices her boosting watches from Married Men at the hotel bar so he's less than surprised when she lurs him upstairs and attempts to pull a classic Badger game in which an accomplice claiming to be her husband bursts in to find them in F grante delto the whole encounter suggests that ryer director Duo Glenn fera and John Raya have studied not only how conmen operate but also the best of the genre having already supplied one of its looniest entries with I love you Philip Morris Channel ing the sultry smoo Jazz Vibe of Steven soderberg's out of sight from the opening scene that's the Tom fer going for here Elmore Leonard novel meets Sharper Image catalog while Smith and Robbie build the dynamic through flutatious bonage Best exemplified by a touch ailly lesson in using distraction to separate a mark from his or her valuables the production team reinforces the mood through a mix of sleek tones and sensual textures three for three in the surprise chemistry department fura and require more or less confirm their ability to generate sciss from thin air ring with Xavier grber the DP who lends their debut to give this pick its sultry look Focus cleanly divides into two parts and both work best the less one knows about who's playing whom suffice it to say that both Nikki and Jess are operating on more levels than either of them lets on and that just when things appear to be cooling down fa are really just heating up Jess is desperate to rise above fleecing Rich guys for their spare change so she shimmies up to Nikki and tries to work her way onto his crew which is gathered in New Or orans to skim the crowds gathered for a championship game composed of madeup teams in a fictional Football League Nikki allows himself to be seduced recognizing how the arrangement might serve his own ends but it catches up with him in the second half when Jess resurfaces in Buenos Iris this time on the arm of his Rich new boss racing Mogul Rafael Gaga Rodrigo Santoro who's flaunting a fuel burning formula that everyone else in the industry wants early on Nikki expressly tells Jess that there's no such thing as the big con or the kind of operation so l lucrative that everyone can retire and live like kings we deal in volume he explains setting up a slick Montage of pickpocketing a virtually invisible craft made flagrant for our benefit if only to emphasize how a skilled swipe relies on teamwork this demonstration is designed to win us over but if the filmmakers have convinced us of anything at this point it's that they are working even harder than the characters are to deceive us for example there's the horse race in which Nikki manages to wipe out his winnings which only we get to see setting up a gambling problem he might not actually have at one point we see Nikki make the tough decision to step away from the table as it were by cutting things off with Jess before she gets too close when she shows up again he's affected in ways we might find hard to believe if not for the fact that we're the only audience to his inner anguish which we must therefore trust to be sincere Nikki arrived in Buenos Iris with the intention of double crossing Gaga but now he seems to be willing to settle for the man's girl potentially a far more dangerous prize given the distrustful looks he gets from gagas Early Head of security Gerald mccraine fera and Ray have fun watching Smith's previously cool character unravel with jealousy slightly playing against the star's ego-driven level-headed persona it's a nice change to see Smith unsettled and Robbie who wields the upper hand for the better part of the movie more than holds her own in every scene together they justify the shortcuts the filmmakers take in executing the K which balloons from a $1 million payday to $27 million without laying the necessary groundwork for all that extra in come the real payoff is the moment it all comes crashing down quite literally in a long scene involving a side character a few shots of tequila a neck brace and the waste of a perfectly good Ferrari while not quite the art it's buil to be if the perfect con is about diverting one's Focus then this one keeps you distracted till the end a silky High Caper about a pair of good-looking con artists focus is a movie blessedly free of self-importance it constructs a seductive fantasy world out of actual places New Orleans buenos Iris and millu Super Bowl skyboxes Formula 1 racing and generously grants Vib access to the audience you may be a few steps behind as the big scams unfold but you feel more like a player than a sucker the preposterousness of the story doesn't seem like a ripoff since the twist in the plot for the most part pay off nicely mostly it is fun to watch Will Smith and Margaret Robbie and to Marvel at whatever Divine or evolutionary Miracle concentrated so much Charisma in the two of them Mr Smith's remarkable ears have never looked better and his face wears the onset of middle age beautifully his character of Veteran grifter named Nikki is a smooth and confident operator but with a bashian undertoe of weary Melancholy which implies that Miss Robbie recently seen in The Wolf of Wall Street is Lauren Beall close enough Miss Robbie here playing a Conan newbie named Jess has a gift for elegant sangro but a greater one for allowing her composure to slip in interesting ways Jess has a talent for picking pockets and bamboozling drunken men but she needs Nikki's gu idance if she wants to rise above such Petty schemes and so he becomes her mentor and her boss hiring her onto a crew he has organized to harvest wallets credit card numbers and jewelry in New Orleans they also become lovers which would probably raise some red flags if Nikki's criminal Enterprise had a human resources department professional ethics are a minor concern though there is the usual talk about honor among Thieves and some chin scratching about whether a man and a woman who lie and cheat for a living can ever really love or trust each other but focus is not the kind of movie that uses an underworld setting to explore the complexities of human behavior it's not quite Elmore Leonard for dummies may be more like Kyle highas for shallow people which is no terrible thing Glenn fera and John rqua who wrote and directed the film together were also responsible for Crazy Stupid Love both movies are cleverly constructed and smart enough to wander away from their jigsa puzzle plots in pursuit of odd moods comic riffs and half-baked subplots at times the Nikes Romance spins its wheels or grows a bit too lorish attractive as they are their emotional drama is weightless thank goodness then for a squad of supporting players who exist partly to propel the plot but mostly to say and do funny unpredictable things there is BD Wong as an enthusiastic Gambler Jess and Nikki meet at the Superdome Adrien Martinez as Nikki's sidekick and Robert Taylor as an Australian race car owner above all there is Gerald mccraine as you know what it doesn't really matter Mr mccraine is a f of grumpy hilarity every other word out of his mouth a Marvel of profane invention among the choicest words quotable here only out of context are CERN maak Twitter and taint he provides some comic BST and Mr Smith's sad eyes and whispery line readings stand in for a missing dramatic core the heart of the movie It's Focus if you want is not love but luxury it sells a vision of cool defined by beautiful stuff and the beautiful people who steal it the brief sex scenes carry some heat but far more voluptuous are the slow pans over rows of watches and stacks of cash it's a vision of the good life familiar to readers of GQ with some decent writing sprinkled among the eye candy you're a sap if you fall for it all of course but maybe also if you don't the fundamental problem with films like Focus lays in how many similar films like Focus you may have seen you know exactly what you're in for namely a con but the fun is always in how the con is pulled off and how the film can gain the confidence of the audience only to trick us at the end unfortunately even if you've seen just one one similar film chances are it's far better than this when I think of all the best con artist movies I've seen over the years the sting Matchstick Men House of games The Spanish Prisoner the grifter Oceans 11 and the largely underrated Edward Burns movie confidence to name but a few there are several Elements which make them memorable be that the con the characters the stakes the setups the writing okay that applies mostly here to David Mammoth or the obstacles they face but each film has many layers and all make for at least an entertaining romp or in the case of the sting something far greater watching focus is like putting the pieces of far better films together and passing it off as something new when in fact it's as Bland as any rakar boot you can name just with a title which hadn't been used before in the film's defense it starts promisingly Will Smith the sole reason for watching is a con man who leads a large team of con artists targeting popular events like the Super Bowl or World Series where people go to let loose get drunk open their wallets and let down the guard after a meet cute with Margaret Robbie pretty f face but Zero Charisma which goes to show what magic Martin scores can work where she's on the job Smith initiates her into his team quickly she learns how to get to somewhere near his level of skill and I quite enjoyed the promise of a team of con artists Smiths 30 perhaps traveling the world pulling jobs in 48 hours getting out and getting rich it's a different take on a familiar genre I thought and I was on board that's at around 20 minutes in after this point an yaow have to excuse the pun Focus quickly loses Focus and becomes increasingly boring after an extended scene of high stakes betting with a super businessman whose resolution is as painfully obvious as it is stupid the film tells us it's 3 years later for the sole reason that there is nowhere left to go the plot has run out of steam at 45 minutes and a new story is brought in where essentially everything which has gone before is going to be either a painful obvious callback or of no consequence whatsoever either way the second half of this film is a non-starter there is a job for Smith to do but the focus is rarely on the confidence tricks and we're left with the classic is how I did it Montage which relies on computer hacking at the heart of it computer hacking and file stealing is not a confidence trick and it's a total copout in a film about con artists what's left is a strained romance between Smith and Robbie which is never more than surface level and twists which I actively tried to guess and that's something I never ever do when a film which relies on twists and turns is actually engaging me director screenwriters Glenn fera and John Quire shoot nothing but style or at least lavish locations and sexy people on repeat over substance and their two lead characters have no arcs or discernable characteristics which makes us want to know anything about the story they are in the status quo never changes for Smith and nothing is ever at stake in the film and even when fika and rqua try to make you think it is you know it isn't in movies like this the film works best when it's one step ahead of the audience but in Focus I think we're matching it stride for stride especially when neither party really car cares what's going on how I wish the film had gone down the route of a con artist team rather than the boring predictable and quaza intelligent mess it became Will Smith is such a Charming leading man he could have pulled off a Danny ocean-like role with Charisma to spare and focus could have served up a new take on an old tale alas this is just another attempt to rework a genre which has seen some truly great films do it all before and it isn't like Focus even tries to copy them it loses its focus and the audience loses its patience and yes I made the focus pun twice I can convince anyone of anything I once convinced a man that an empty Warehouse was the Federal Reserve so IM good con man movies are all about conning the audience watching it as much as they are about conning the characters in it movies like Ridley Scotts Matchstick Men and David mammoth's Heist work so well and deliver such an impact because they make you feel like you're in at watching from the outside seeing angles that the characters can't then they pull the rug out from under you and you realize that you were being suckered the whole time time too good con movies do it so well when you watch them a second time you can't believe how many little hints of the truth you missed that first time around Focus tries to do a whole lot of that it succeeds at very little of it yet it's entertaining anyway sitting alone in a Swanky Hotel bar Nicky Will Smith is quickly seduced by the gorgeous Jess marget Robbie getting down to rumpy pumpy business the interrupted by her jealous gun wielding husband only it's not her jealous husband it's her partner in crime scamming and robbing people like Nikki after player lured to her room only Nikki's not being scammed he's actually a worldclass con artist himself who recognized this low rent scheme immediately and went along with it out of pure curiosity before easily foring their plans impressed and enam Jess convinces Nikki to take her on as an apprentice soon is part of his large team of grifters and pickpockets stealing fa away though Mighty grass in New Orleans to the tune of 1.7 million sticking to the ethos taught to him by his con man father Nikki has obvious growing feelings for Jess but they part ways anyway until 3 years later when the ultimate con rears its head giving Nikki the chance to finally make that one last big score as I said in my intro Focus has all the building blocks of a great Heist or con movie The only problem is all of those building blocks are way too big awkward and obvious I'm sure the movie thinks things like recurring mentions of Nikki's father and a certain scam involving Partners shooting each other are subtle hints that viewers will write off in the moment as little pieces of entertaining in color but what they come off as is the movie screaming hey Nikki's dad is definitely going to figure into the final twist and or con of this movie so don't forget he exists or how shitty of a father he's been in the past also that con where one partner shoots another remember that hint hint massive wink Focus too but also as I said in the intro I still found Focus irresistibly entertaining anyway if only in a disposable fluff kind of way turns out if you have greatl looking Charming Charisma machine like Will Smith and Margaret Robbie Romancing each other in a series of exotic locations around the world while wearing designer clothes and while perpetrating increasingly ridiculous and intricate plans schemes Capers cons and shenanigans it's going to be an easy watch y'all forget all about it before the end credits even start to roll but the 100 odd minutes you spend watching it will be perfectly Pleasant movie review Nikki knows his stuff it's not the sort of stuff y teach your kids or talk about in mixed company but it's it's a certain well practiced knowledge that only comes after a great deal of hard work and only really to a choice few it's like that lightf footed Grace some athletes have on the sports field or the fleetness of mind that only a very few deep thinkers can muster in Nikki's case though his skill set is something altogether different he's a seasoned con man who can easily convince you of pretty much anything he wants you to believe he can put you at ease while he steals away your fortune and leaves you thinking it was all for the best he can kiss your wife pick your pocket and kick your dog while letting you believe you won the lottery that day and no matter how things might go sideways Nikki plays out his part with such a cold calculated efficiency that he always lands on his feet with his pockets full he's been able to do all that by following one simple rule there's no room for heart in this game you can't care about the mark you can't care about who gets hurt you can't even care about your partners in the con now there's a problem for Nikki though he's met someone someone special he can't get out of his head her name is Jess and she's hit him with an emotional broadside that's left him reeling and caring she's a thief too and she's getting pretty good at it under Nikki's tutelage in fact they fit together in every way better than any two people he's ever known but that shouldn't matter it can't matter he needs to walk away he can't keep caring if you let heart get between you and a job you can lose your focus if Nikki knows nothing else he knows that this business is all about focus and he's losing it positive elements this film is focused on people who steal for a living so there's not a lot to praise in their actions except to say that among Thieves there is a certain standard of Honor upheld here and the film does suggest that love can have a softening positive effect even on the most heartless thus Nikki warns Jess to get out of crime before it hurts her spiritual elements a fellow Thief suggests that he should take it up with God when Nikki asks him a rhetorical question sexual content a number of women women in clubs and at poolside wear outfits that expose curves and cleavage Jess is the camera's favorite subject when it comes to ogling we see her naked and topless in a short yet quite sensual sex scene with Nikki and we see her in various stages of undress from a skimpy bikini and Lacy unies to form fitting dresses a man has sex with a prostitute and the camera examines her lower back in bare backside while highlighting a stamp she wears a comrade in crime accidentally shows Jess a picture of his penis on his phone out of the frame jokes are interjected about straight and gay sex violent content a hired thug purposely Rams his SUV into Nikki's car leaving Nikki and Jess bruised slashed and bleeding Nikki and Jess both get punched in the face a man is shot in the chest and appears to be bleeding out a suction device is plunged into someone's chest to extract the blood from his lungs his wounds are then wrapped in duct tape until he can be transported to the hospital crude or profane language over 50 f-words and 20 swords join multiple uses of H and DN gods and Jesus names are abused a dozen or more times with Gods twice getting linked with DN crude Andor obscene references are made to male and female body parts drug and alcohol content wine and hard liquor flow freely during several dinner scenes and parties and while a group sits in an outdoor Cafe Crooks toast their success with glasses of champagne a wealthy owner Downs shots and guzzles champagne while watching his race car run the track we see several people smoking both cigarettes and a cigar Jess jokes about having been given a rofy conclusion early on Nikki tells the igot toan Jess that if you redirect a Mark's Focus you can pretty much do whatever you want then he proceeds to demonstrate his point while he banters redirecting her Focus repeatedly so he can lightly lift her possessions by film's end we and the audience come to see that the movie itself has been playing that same slight of hand game on us redirect in our gaze with likable characters and easy pace and pleasant settings then surprising us several times with a storin it's concocted it is quite frankly an interesting experience it isn't however always a good one for like a grimy pickpocket's hand the movie leaves something behind as it executes its cinematic faint we're left with some dirty mental fingerprints made up of an abundance of foul language and crude dialogue mixed with some sexy fleshy visuals and we're left with the unfocused idea that well executed lies thefts and K are something quite special and beautiful to behold focus is a 2015 American Crime Comer drama film written and directed by Glenn fera and John Ray starring Will Smith and Margaret Robbie the plot follows a career con artist who takes an aspiring fem F toal under his wing the film was released on February 27th 2015 it received mixed reviews from critics but was a success at the box office grossing $158 million against its $50 million budget film plot season conman Nikki Spurgeon meets inexperienced grifter Jess Barrett who tries to seduce and con him with a fake jealous husband when they fail Nikki advises them never to lose focus when faced with unexpected situations he follows Jess convincing her to have drinks Nikki tells her how his father Bucky shot his grandfather in a standoff explaining the Toledo panic button tactic in which you shoot your partner to show your loyalty Jess follows Nikki to New Orleans successfully persuading him to take her under his wing where she also meets Nikki's crew including farad and H picking a few pockets as a test Nikki and Jess develop a romantic relationship upsetting Nikki whose father taught him to never become emotionally involved with colleagues at the Super Bowl Nikki gets into a round of increasingly extravagant Bets with Gambler Leu and C eventually losing all of the money the crew has earned to win it back Nikki asks C to pick any player on or off the field and has justess guessed the number picked distraught J scans the field sees far had wearing jersey number number 55 and realizes it is another con they take C for Millions Nikki later explains hows had been programmed to pick 55 from his arrival with subtle subliminal prompts throughout his day this Victory leaves C impressed who even graciously gives all the money back to Nikki Nikki leaves Jess with her cut and instructs the driver to take her to the airport she cries as her limo drives off as he climbs into another waiting car 3 years later Nikki goes to Buenas Iris to work for billionaire Motorsport team owner rapael gager as gager wants to beat Australian businessman mcu's team in the championship Nikki will pretend to be Gaga's team's disgruntled technician who's willing to sell his custom fuel using algorithm xer instead he will sell mchu a bogus version which will actually slow their car down at a pre-race party Nikki runs into Jess who is now with gager after heavy drinking upon seeing Jess Nikki has a convincing public fight with gager and after being thrown out is recruited by mccuan to provide the component Nikki begins pursuing Jess again and they eventually rekindle their relationship the head of Gaga's security Entourage Owens is suspicious and narrowly misses catching them together Nikki not only delivers the real component to mchan for €3 million but also sells it to the other teams for similar amounts before Nikki and Jess can return to the us together they are caught by gara's men Jess is bound and her mouth is taped shut whilst Nikki is beaten Gaga is convinced that she helped Nikki gain access to ex so begins to suffocate her to save Jess Nikki explains that he tricked her into believing he still had feelings for her and the necklace he had given her secretly recorded gara's password and login information Jess was conned and knew nothing about it however she then revealed she was only trying to seduce Gaga to steal his valuable watch but had not actually got close enough to Gaga for Nikki's story to be true Nikki then promises to come clean to spare Jess life but Owen shoots him in the chest causing a horrified gager to leave Owens then reveals himself to be Bucky and assures Jess that he avoided any major arteries by employing the Toledo panic button he then tapes up Nikki's wounds and draws excess blood from his lung with a syringe so he can breathe they flee the garage in Gaga's vehicle Bucky drives Nikki and Jess to the hospital to treat Nikki's punctured lung before he drops them off he reveals why he's left him on the streets during a poker deal in Boston he had a gun pulled on him and all he could think about then was Nikki he then walked away and never looked back after emphasizing that love will get one killed in the game Bucky departs with all the money as a reminder of the consequences of losing focus after he leaves Nikki notices that Jess snatched Gaga's $200,000 watch and a smiling Nikki and Jess walk towards the hospital entrance together cast well Smith is Nikki Spurgeon Margaret Robbie is Jess Barrett Rodrigo Santoro as rapael gager Gerald mccraine is Bucky Spurgeon Owens Adrian Martinez as farad BD Wong is Leon C Robert Tor as McKuen Dominic fumusa as Jared molski Brennan Brown as H Griff first is Gareth Juan minen as bman Stephanie honor as Janice Rebecca Highland as Mrs Grover uned production Apollo Robbins served as a consultant conceiving and choreographing original slate of hand Maneuvers directors fura and Ray stated Apollo is the the foremost expert in his field and is an inspiration to us the directing Duo and production designer Beth mckl made a scouting trip to Buenos Iris in June and a second trip with producers Denise doovi and Mark scon in which they finally settled to shoot in the neighborhoods of santelmo PUO Madero barakus rtio rolta and palamo as well as isaa airport and a few hotels six Neil Smith spoke at the digital cinema Society Forum dropping several hints as to the identity of a film being Ed in Final Cut X in a December 2013 presentation this would make Focus the largest production yet completed in apples Inc program filming principal photography began on September 14th 2013 in New Orleans and moved over to Buenos Iris on November 19 2013 for 3 weeks the last day of shooting in Argentina was on December 10th seven filming wrapped in New York City on December 17th 2013. 18 release theatrical release the film was released in 2015 in the US and Germany nine on January 29th 2015 Warner Bros and a Max Corporation announced that they would digitally remaster the film into the immersive ax DMR format also for release on the same date 10 home media Focus was released on DVD and blued combo pack on June 2nd 2015 reception box office Focus grossed $ 53.9 million in North America and 104.9 9 million in other territories for a total gross of $18.8 million against a production budget of 50.1 million five the film gross $6.4 million in its opening day $7.6 million on its second day and $4.6 million on its Third Day totaling $18.7 million in its opening weekend while playing in 3d3 and 23 theaters a fing $623 per theater average finishing first place at the Box office 13 the film was also released in the theaters of 39 markets of other territories in same weekend of its North America release and gross an estimated $12.2 million its biggest territories with the United Kingdom $13 million Russia $3.1 million and Netherlands do 17658 32 critical response on Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 56% based on 228 reviews with an average rating of 5.81 the s's consensus reads Focus may have a few too many twists and turns but it nearly skates by on its glamorous setting and the charm of its Stars 16 on Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 42 critics indicating mixed or average reviews 17 audiences ped by cinemascore gave the film a grade of B on an app plus to f scale 18 Richard roer of the Chicago sometimes called it sheer Escapist entertainment from start to finish 19 the Free Press Journal called the film smart slick but shallow 20 Nick deeman of Empire wrote this is maximum glass entertainment with its fair share of Trixie rug pools but like one of the neon-colored cocktail Smith drinks in it it's more of an immediate rush than something y all remember in a year 21 film review gorgeous people in expensive clothing trade Snappy banter in luxurious locations it's all giddy fizzy fun until it isn't anymore in Focus but co-stars will Smith and marget Robbie remain consistently charismatic even once the script for this Heist Caper collapses in a punishing pile of its own twists and double crosses for Smith Focus functions as a return to form which admittedly sounds odd in describing a box office Titan who hasn't really gone anywhere in the past quarter Century but recent years haven't treated him so kindly between the ponderous 7 pounds the forgettable Men in Black 3 and the disastrous After Earth here as a veteran con man Smith seems looser Charming as ever but also broen commanding yet vulnerable it's as if he's finally shifted into the right gear as he settles into middle-aged good Lord is the eternally boyish and buyant Smith approaching 50 and he's comfortable there for Robbie Focus C her status as a major star after a hilarious and head turning supporting performance in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street where she nearly stole the whole Behemoth of a film out from underneath a larger than lifee Leonardo DiCaprio the Australian actress proves she's just as Fierce as a Leading Lady it's not just just that she's stunningly beautiful and impossibly photogenic which she is she also has great instincts and a flare for Comic timing with a playfulness that's as powerful as her sex appeal the film from the wring directing Duo of Glenn fura and John Ray gives these actors plenty of brisk and snappy material to work with both individually and as a team in various forms but like fura and requires 2011 comedy Crazy Stupid Love Focus begins promisingly and Bops along enjoyably for a while only to run out of steam in the third Act at the start those Smiths Nikki and Robbie's Jess enjoy crackling chemistry as strangers trying to outsmart each other over wine and Candlelight at an upscale Manhattan Restaurant the way cinematographer Xavier Perez grabit often shoots them sitting opposite each other at a table in an opulent setting bathed in sultry light is reminiscent of the Steven soda classic out ofsight in ways that surely can't be a coincidence she's a small time Hustler trying to weasle her way into more lucrative gigs he's been at this game his whole life and has major ations down to a science once each of them realizes the truth about the other if such a thing as truth is possible in a movie about con artists she begs him to teach her everything he knows this leads to a scene that's one of the film's highlights as they flirtatiously dance around each other in a snow Lincoln Center with Nikki preaching the importance of taking away a Mark's Focus while pocketing every last one of Jeff's belongings then it's off to New Orleans where Nikki reluctantly lets Jess join the massive team he's assembled to snatch watches and wallets from the unsus respecting revelers hve gathered for a major professional football championship whatever you do don't call it the Super Bowl turns out just a natural a massive distraction in a tight dress with a light touch as revealed in a beautifully edited sequence amid the crowds of Bourbon Street and Jess distracts Nikki too as the thrill of the wrongness of it all gives way to not entirely convincing Romance the Superdome itself provides the setting for the film's two to four sequence in which Nikki's gambling habits put him in serious Peril with a high roller an amusing BD w in a luxury Suite this section of the movie could function as its own freestanding short film it has such a strong Arc and it provides such a headyy mix of tension and laughs I wouldn't dream of giving away its many surprises but I will say this you will never listen to The Rolling Stones over use Sympathy for the Devil in a film the same way ever again if Focus could have ended there it would have been a dazzling little gem but it keeps going traveling to Buenos Iris 3 years later their Nikki is running another scheme for wealthy race team owner Rodrigo Santoro involving duping his competitors with some high-tech thingy that makes cars go faster what the device does isn't important but the way Nikki uses it to manipulate everyone around him is what sets up the film's climax albeit in rather flimsy fashion Gerald mccraine does get to enjoy some truly lacerating language as Gaga's Gruff and mistrustful right-hand Mana similarly Adrien Martinez supplies his share of laugh out loud lines as Nikki's lwd longtime sidekick more importantly buenos Iris is where Nikki reunites with Jess who's now enjoying a life of wealth and comfort as Gaga's girlfriend of all the Gin joints in all the world right but while Jess insists she's left her life of crime behind nothing in focus is ever that easy as vibrant as these characters are there's not much to them beneath their glossy surfaces which makes it difficult to become emotionally invested in whether they end up together or whether that sort of ordinary human connection is even possible in this extraordinary World Nikki at least has a backstory about a cold-hearted Father which is intended to explain his inherent cynicism Jess isn't even afforded that much characterization we know in a movie like this that we and the audience are being played just as much as the poor fools on screen in theory that's part of the fun trying to stay a step ahead of the action and often failing but focus is All Surface all artifice to the point where we can't help but expect the duplicity and the twists come so fast and furious toward the end they feel more like Overkill than a shock the trick that makes Robbie's character such an expert Thief her light touch is the very thing the movie loses toward the end heist movies come and go but a good con film is little different trouble in Paradise The Sting The Spanish Prisoner these are films more about manipulating people than just stealing something Focus which stars Will Smith as a master con man and Margaret Robbie as his new Apprentice spends much of its running time convincing you it is the best entry into the genre in years alas this is merely a setup as the film's second half eventually reveals that it's all been a facade once the scaffolding crumbles were left on a limping getaway we didn't land the Big Score but we did Come Away with a few sparkly trinkets Focus opens in a Swank New York restaurant where small Tom grifted Jess Robbie thinks she spotted a mark in Nikki Smith he plays along out of curiosity then takes pity as the colored lights of Midtown Manhattan Shimmer against Lincoln cent snow dot campus Nikki playfully educates Jess in the art of the psychological grift it is one of many remarkable scenes that directors Glenn fera and John rques in a very straightforward manner taking advantage of the obvious Beauty right in front of them usually the phrase very visual is critics code for complex camera moves or unusual angles but it can just as well mean casting gorgeous actors in breathtaking costumes and plopping them in a great Urban or interior setting the hotels and high clubs in Focus are extraordinarily furnished and Smith and Robbie look Splendid gallivanting among them they are both terrific in this especially relative newcomer Robbie who shows tremendous comedic range the film's action soon heads to New Orleans where a big football game not the Super Bowl though should lawyers be watching has the town swimming in Easy Money Jess fits in nicely with Nikki's crew as they bulp around the French Quarter boosting wallets and watches they do brisk business gobbling up every bag and briefcase they can find that is until the twist comes and Nikki manipulates Jess into helping him pull off an enormous and admittedly ludicrous con inside the Superdome if the projector broke after the New Orleans job and I stopped watching their IDE DB over the moon about this picture unfortunately after a 3 years later card we meet up with Nikki in Buenos Iris as he starts planning a con involving a car race he isn't trying to steal but to infiltrate an opposing team and slip them a finger magic that will lead them to think they have an edge but will actually do just the opposite it's a little confusing and gets more so when characters from the past keep showing up even in this second half which is considerably less steam than the first Focus must be applauded for sticking to its Mission there's not a wisp of moralizing within 50 ft of this film theft on a large and small scale is considered a noble art there's also a sense of sexual cander wafting throughout Jess doesn't exactly encourage leery but she seems somewhat at peace with the chauvinism of her chosen profession hello I'm right here she cries out in one of the funnier moments when one of Nikki's colleagues makes a lwd remark like a bond villainous the power of feminine WS is presented as a piece of equipment men have upper body strength women have bad eyelashes the final third is obviously building to some rug from under you reveal and all 'll say is that while I knew something was coming it's a Twist that no one will be able to predict this is partially why it is somewhat disappointing as it feels like fura and Ray went so far a field as a mandate hard to get too upset though when you rerun certain scenes in your head it all checks out plus Margaret Robbie looks so damn beautiful with her hair backlit by the street lamps in the final scenes ya realize that's more interesting than any far-fetched plot pretzels it's almost as if the movie is trying to focus your attention elsewhere you know where you stand with a caper movie slippery as an eel light as a Goose feather and populated by Attractive people telling each other porkies it will inevitably feature a seasoned grifter reciting hard one knowledge to a scrappy upstart there's Hammers and Nails Will Smith Whispers to marar Robbie in Focus you decide which you want to be fortunately she doesn't ask how to figure out if you're an electric drill as this exchange implies the latest entry in the category of film that is s du Swindle is a rather over familiar confection but at least it's rarely as generic as its dingly first Bas title and while the route it takes is one that's been traveled cinematically many times before it has enough Dazzle along the way to make it worth a watch Smith and Robbie slip easily into their roles frequently cast as an authority figure most recently in the joyless After Earth Smith rebels in the opportunity to play super slick Hustler Nikki and Robbie gives as good as she gets marvelously gutsy as pickpocket Jess part romantic comedy part jeda Padawan training drama focus is a fine showcase for their chemistry and no doubt the reason they will be reunited in next year's Suicide Squad writer directors Glenn fera and John require the minds behind Crazy Stupid Love manage for the most part to freshen up the formula with Nifty slate of hand the opening set piece starts with a pair meeting in conventional romcom style and ends as something much sneakier as Nikki and Jess put their cards on the table and recognize each other as Kindred Spirits there's a wonderful task moment over a brunch in a cafe as the scale of Nikki's operation is revealed in one standout sequence we track a villainous henchman as he goes about his business killing time until he ambushes Our Heroes the problem is that overall the movie is just a little too light gliding smoothly from one situation to the next Nikki is a character for whom everything comes effortlessly as a Gruff foulmouthed enforcer snapping at his heels Gerald mccrany displays more personality in one scene than Smith is allowed during his entire screen time he's a CER a fun companion for the ride but difficult to root for when the guano hits the fan in the third act Jess is more interesting but it's one of those films that's only as gripping as the bit of plot wistin that's going on at any given time speaking of which the Highlight is a 10-minute sequence at the mercedesb Superdome in New Orleans so self-contained it could work as a short film it guest stars BD Wong as a giggling filth attached billionaire who challenges Nikki to a high stakes bed and quickly spirals into a hugely suspenseful assured piece of Cinema it's at this point that Focus flies hey remember that time when Will Smith wasn't completely insufferable look I don't much care about how celebrities behave or misbehave in their real lives if I took it personally every time I found out someone in Hollywood is a pompous arrogant jerk ID have a really hard time being a movie fan normally I'm pretty good about separating someone's on screen work from their real life persona but in the case of Will Smith The Divide is so thin as to be almost non-existent you can use the Lego movie movie's prophecy concerning the special to describe essentially every role Smith has played in the past decade and you get the sense that he really does believe himself to be the greatest most interesting most important person of all time but I suppose we should talk about his latest movie focus focus is about the greatest most interesting most important con man of all time who runs a massive but highly efficient team of petty Crooks to make millions of dollars off of stolen cash jewelry and identities he comes across a stunningly beautiful con lady who tries to steal from him but because he's the greatest most interesting most important con man of all time he sees through her in an instant leading her to drop everything and pine for his affection like a lost puppy after that he goes on to get everything he wants and prove that he's smarter than everyone else in the world the end that's it that's literally the whole movie there's no interesting angle no real obstacles to overcome just while Smith smirking his way through the film's oppressive 104 running time constantly explaining how much smarter he is than everyone else that's the movie fatal flaw as much as I dislike Smith there's an interesting movie to be made here heist movies are fun it's fun to watch charismatic criminals beat the odds and prove that they are the smartest one in the room but in order for it to work their needs to be real odds for them to beat there are none here Smith doesn't have a character flaw that threatens to muck things up he never gets in over his head he's never made he never even lets his affections for Margaret Robbie's Jess get in the way of his criminal work the movie teases that each of these things might be a factor only to a immediately say LOL JK this was part of the plan all the longo Smith is too awesome to have flaws and you know that makes for a really dull movie every time you think hey this might finally be getting interesting the film jettison all of its potential Drama by the third time this happens with half the running time left to go you realize the movie isn't interested in telling a compelling story it's just another vehicle for Will Smith to show how awesome he is in putting a lot of emphasis on the star here which normally isn't something I do but it's hard to avoid in this case because there's no purpose to this film Beyond showing that Will Smith's character is this incredible superhuman figure who can do no wrong it bends over backwards to avoid having any kind of dramatic Stakes or narrative arcs or human emotion the entire point is look at how cool this guy is he's cooler than everyone even you it's frustrating because the film constantly threatens to be about something more at one point it threatens to be about this great con man who is undermined by a gambling problem at another point it looks like it might be about this Steel criminal being transformed by The Power of Love at yet another it looks like maybe it's a Revenge story about a scorned Apprentice who has come back to outsmart their teacher sure all of these stories have been done a thousand times before but they've been done so many times because they feature classical storytelling instead Focus introduces the potential for these other stories as misdirection in a misguided twist The Twist being that the film never intends to raise the stakes or have an arc it's just going to be variations on the same thing we saw in the first 10 minutes of the film look I realize that not all films need to or even necessarily should conform to classical storytelling methods I love it when a movie flies in the face of what we expect to achieve a greater point or challenge the audience in interesting ways Focus doesn't do that it doesn't criticize the success of its protagonist Like the Wolf of Wall Street or create a terrifying metaphor for the cold brutality of unchecked capitalism like Nightcrawler as far as I can tell the entire point is nothing more than highlighting how awesome Will Smith's character is if someone else can find greater meaning in this film's ident refusal to have any kind of dramatic Stakes ID be more than happy to hear it but if it's there I couldn't see it every movie star is a con artist of sorts seducing audiences into forking over millions by adopting a character bigger than him or herself but what to do when the streak fals Will Smith made his film debut as a high society scammer in Six Degrees of Separation and now a bit more than 21 years later he's back at the hustle in focus a sexy Slater pan Caper that feels Small Time by the Temple Kings standards though a solid opening ought to prove Smith's ongoing drawing power and that there is life after the commercial debacle of 2013's after her lightly directed by The Duo responsible for Crazy Stupid Love this swaave if quick to dissipate divertisment shrewdly recast the star in the George Clooney mold a good look for the next age of Smith's career with the rare exception of 2005's hit hitch romance hasn't really been Smith's bag some Stars build their entire careers On It While others hardly ever LED love factor into their work as those developing material for Dwayne Johnson no The Rock don't do romance for example in the two decades since Jerry Brammer got his hooks in him with Bad Boy Smith has mostly LED with his Swagger whereas here he dips into the vulnerability that served him well in riskier outings such as the pursuit of happiness with Focus the whole movie hinges on whether we believe he's met his match can one woman possibly break through and tame him from the moment Smith's Nikki Spurgeon first sets eyes on Jess The Wolf of Wall Street St marget Robbie he never misses a beat as he quickly sizes up her scam he notices her boosting watches from Married Men at the hotel bar so he's less than surprised when she lurs him upstairs and attempts to pull a classic Badger game in which an accomplice claiming to be her husband bursts in to find them in fle grante decto the whole encounter suggests that riter director Duo Glenn fera and John Raya have studied not only how conmen operate but also the best of the genre having already supplied one of its looniest entries with I love you Philip Morris channeling the sultry smoo Jazz Vibe of Steven soder's out of sight from the opening scene that's the tone ther going for here Elmore Leonard novel meets Sharper Image catalog while Smith and Robbie build the dynamic through flutatious badage Best exemplified by a touch ailly lesson in using distraction to separate a mark from his or her valuables the production team reinforces the mood through a mix of sleek tones and sensual textures three for three in the surprise chemistry department fura and require more or less confirm their ability to generate Sizzle from thin air R teeming with Xavier grber the DP who lends their debut to give this pick its sultry look Focus cleanly divides into two parts and both work best the less one knows about who's playing who suffice it to say that both Nikki and Jess are operating on more levels than either of them lets on and that just when things appear to be cooling down fa really just heating up Jess is desperate to rise above fleecing Rich guys for their spare change so she shimmies up to Nikki and tries to work her way onto his crew which is gathered in New Orleans to skim the crowds gathered for a championship game composed of madeup teams in a fictional Football League Nikki allows himself to be seduced recognizing how the arrangement might serve his own ends but it catches up with him in the second half when Jess resurfaces in Buenos Iris this time on the arm of his Rich new boss racing Mogul Rafael Gaga Rodrigo Santoro who's flaunting a fuel burning formula that everyone else in the industry wants early on Nikki expressly tells Jess that there's no such thing as the big con or the kind of operation so lucrative that everyone can retire and live like kings we deal in volume he explains setting up a slick Montage of pickpocketing a virtually invisible craft made flagrant for our benefit if only to emphasize how a skilled swipe relies on teamwork this demonstration is designed to win us over but if the filmmakers have convinced us of anything at this point it's that they are working even harder than the characters are to deceive us for example there's the horse race in which Nikki manages to wipe out his winnings which only we get to see setting up a Gamble problem he might not actually have at one point we see Nikki make the tough decision to step away from the table as it were by cutting things off with Jess before she gets too close when she shows up again he's affected in ways we might find hard to believe if not for the fact that we're the only audience to his inner anguish which we must therefore trust to be sincere Nikki arrived in Buenos Iris with the intention of double crossing Gaga but now he seems to be willing to settle for the man's girl potentially a far more dangerous prize given the distrustful looks he gets from G Surly head of security Gerald mccraine vica and Ray have fun watching Smith's previously cool character unravel with jealousy slightly playing against the star's ego-driven level-headed persona it's a nice change to see Smith unsettled and Robbie who wields the upper hand for the better part of the movie more than holds her own in every scene together they justify the shortcuts the filmmakers take in executing the con which balloons from a $1 million payday to $27 million without laying the necessary groundwork for all that extra income the real payoff is the moment it all comes crashing down quite literally in a long scene involving a side character a few shots of tequila a neck brace and the waste of a perfectly good Ferrari while not quite the art it's buil to be if the perfect con is about diverting one's Focus then this one keeps you distracted till the end a silky High Caper about a pair of good-looking con artists focus is a movie blessedly free of self-importance it constructs a seductive fantasy world out of actual places New Orleans buenos Iris and mil Super Bowl skyboxes Formula 1 racing and generously grants VIP access to the audience you may be a few steps behind as the big scams unfold but you feel more like a player than a sucker the preposterousness of the story doesn't seem like a ripoff since the twist in the plot for the most part pay off nicely mostly it is fun to watch Will Smith and marget Robbie and to Marvel at whatever Divine or evolutionary Miracle concentrated so much Charisma in the two of them Mr Smith's remarkable ears have never looked better in his wears the onset of middle age beautifully his character of Veteran grifter named Nikki is a smooth and confident operator but with a bashian undertoe of weary Melancholy which implies that Miss Robbie recently seen in The Wolf of Wall Street is Lauren Beall close enough Miss Robbie here playing a caname newbie named Jess has a gift for alegan sangro but a greater one for allowing her composure to slip in interesting ways Jess has a talent for picking pockets and bamboozling drunken men but she needs Nikki guidance if she wants to rise above such Petty schemes and so he becomes her mentor and her boss hiring her onto a crew he has organized to harvest wallets credit card numbers and jewelry in New Orleans they also become lovers which would probably raise some red flags if Nikki's criminal Enterprise had a human resources department professional ethics are a minor concern though there is the usual talk about honor among Thieves and some chin scratching about whether a man and a woman who lie and cheat for a living can ever really love or trust each other but focus is not the kind of movie that uses an underworld setting to explore the complexities of human behavior it's not quite Elmore Leonard for dummies may be more like Kyle highas for shallow people which is no terrible thing Glenn fera and John rayer who wrote and directed the film together were also responsible for Crazy Stupid Love both movies are cleverly constructed and smart enough to wander away from their jigsa puzzle plots in pursuit of odd moods comic riffs and half-baked subplots at times the Nikes Romance spins its wheels or grows a bit too lorish attractive as they are their emotional drama is weightless thank goodness then for a squad of supporting players who exist partly to propel the plot but mostly to say and do funny unpredictable things there is BD Wong as an enthusiastic Gambler Jess and Nikki meet at the Superdome Adrien Martinez as Nikki's sidekick and Robert Taylor as an Australian race car owner above all there is Gerald mccraine as you know what it doesn't really matter Mr mccraine is a f of grumpy hilar every other word out of his mouth a Marvel of profane invention among the choicest words quotable here only out of context are SE macac Twitter and taint he provides some comic ballst and Mr Smith's sad eyes and whispery line readings stand in for a missing dramatic core the heart of the movie It's Focus if you want is not love but luxury it sells a vision of cool defined by beautiful stuff and the beautiful people who steal it the brief sex scenes carry some heat but far more voluptuous are the slow pans over Rose of watches and stacks of cash it's a vision of the good life familiar to readers of GQ with some decent writing sprinkled among the eye candy you're a sap if you fall for it all of course but maybe also if you don't the fundamental problem with films like Focus lays in how many similar films like Focus you may have seen you know exactly what you're in for namely a con but the fun is always in how the con is pulled off and how the film can gain the confidence of the audience only to trick us at the end unfortunately even if you've seen just one similar film chances are it's far better than this when I think of all the best con artist movies I've seen over the years the sting Matchstick Men House of gains The Spanish Prisoner the grifters Oceans 11 and the largely underrated Edward Burns movie confidence to name but a few there are several Elements which make them memorable be that the Cal the characters the stakes the setups the writing okay that applies mostly here to David Mammoth or the obstacles they face but each film has many layers and all make for at least an entertaining romp or in the case of the sting something far greater watching focus is like putting the pieces of far better films together and passing it off as something new when in fact it's as Bland as any racar boot you can name just with a title which hadn't been used before in the film's defense it starts promisingly Will Smith the sole reason for watching is a con man who leads a large team of con artists targeting popular events like the Super Bowl or World Series where people go to let loose get drunk open their wallets and let down the guard after a meet cute with Margaret Robbie pretty face but Zero Charisma which goes to show what magic Martin scores can work where she's on the job Smith initiates her into his team quickly she learns how to get to somewhere near his level of skill and I quite enjoyed the promise of a team of con artists Smiths 30 perhaps traveling the world pulling jobs in 48 hours getting out and getting rich it's a different take on a familiar genre I thought and I was on board that's at around 20 minutes in after this point and ya will have to excuse the pun Focus quickly loses Focus and becomes increasingly boring after an extended scene of high stakes betting with a super businessman whose resolution is as painfully obvious as it is stupid the film tells us it's 3 years later for the sole reason that there is nowhere left to go the plot has run out of steam at 45 minutes and a new story is brought in where essentially everything which has gone before is going to be either a painful obvious call back or of no consequence whatsoever either way the second half of this film is a non-starter there is a job for Smith to do but the focus is rarely on the confidence tricks and we're left with the classic is how I did it Montage which relies on computer hacking at the heart of it computer hacking and file stealing is not a confidence trick and it's a total copout in a film about con artists what's left is a strained Rance between Smith and Robbie which is never more than surface level and twists which I actively tried to guess and that's something I never ever do when a film which relies on twists and turns is actually engaging me director screenwriters Glenn fera and John require shoot nothing but style or at least lavish locations and sexy people on repeat over substance and their two lead characters have no arcs or discernable characteristics which makes us want to know anything about the story they are in the status quo never changes for Smith and nothing is ever at stake in the film and even when fika and Raya try to make you think it is you know it isn't in movies like this the film works best when it's one step ahead of the audience but in Focus I think we're matching it stride for stride especially when neither party really cares what's going on how I wish the film had gone down the route of a con artist team rather than the boring predictable and quaza intelligent mess it became Will Smith is such a Charming leading man he could have pulled off a Danny ocean-like role with Charisma to spare and focus could have served up a new take on an old tale alas this is just another attempt to rework a genre which has seen some truly great films do it all before and it isn't like Focus even tries to copy them it loses its focus and the audience loses its patience and yes made the focus pun twice I can convince anyone of anything I once convinced a man that an empty Warehouse was the Federal Reserve so IM good con man movies are all about conning the audience watching it as much as they are about conning the characters in it movies like Ridley Scot's Matchstick Men and David mammoth's Heist work so well and deliver such an impact because they make you feel like you're in at watching from the outside seeing angles that the characters can't then they pull the rug out from under you and you realize that you were being suck at the whole time too good con movies do it so well when you watch them a second time you can't believe how many little hints of the truth you missed that first time around Focus tries to do a whole lot of that it succeeds at very little of it yet it's entertaining anyway sitting alone in a Swanky Hotel bar Nikki Will Smith is quickly seduced by the gorgeous Jess Margaret Robbie getting down to rumpy pumpy business the interrupted by her jealous gun wielding husband only it's not her jealous husband it's her partner in crime scamming and robbing people like Nikki after fa lured to her room only Nikki's not being scammed he's actually a worldclass con artist himself who recognized this low rent scheme immediately and went along with it out of pure curiosity before easily fting their plans impressed and enamored Jess convinces Nikki to take her on as an apprentice soon she's part of his large team of grifters and pickpockets stealing Fair way though Mighty grass in New Orleans to the tune of $1.7 million sticking to the ethos taught to him by his con man father Nikki has obvious growing feelings for Jess but they part ways anyway until 3 years later when the ultimate con rears its head giving Nikki the chance to finally make that one last bit score as I said in my intro Focus has all the building blocks of a great Heist or con movie The only problem is all of those building blocks are way too big awkward and obvious I'm sure the movie thinks things like recurring mentions of Nikki's father and a certain scam involving Partners shooting each other are subtle hints that viewers will write off in the moment as little pieces of ENT aining color but what they come off as is the movie screaming hey Nikki's dad is definitely going to figure into the final twist Andor con of this movie so don't forget he exists or how shitty of a father he's been in the past also that con where one partner shoots another remember that hint hint massive wink Focus too but also as I said in the intro I still found Focus irresistibly entertaining anyway if only in a disposable fluff kind of way turns out if you have great looking Charming charisma machines like Will Smith and Margaret Robbie Romancing each other in a series of exotic locations around the world while wearing designer clothes and while perpetrating increasingly ridiculous and intricate plans schemes Capers cons and shenanigans it's going to be an easy watch yall forget all about it before the end credits even start to roll but the 100 odd minutes you spend watching it will be perfectly Pleasant movie review Nikki knows his stuff it's not the sort of stuff y teach your kids or talk about in mixed company but it's a certain well practiced knowledge that only comes after a great deal of hard work and only really to a choice few it's like that light-footed Grace some athletes have on the sports field or the fleetness of mind that only a very few deep thinkers can muster in Nikki's case though his skill set is something altogether different he's a seasoned con man who can easily convince you of pretty much anything he wants you to believe he can put you at ease while he steals away your fortune and leaves you thinking it was all for the best he can kiss your wife pick your pocket and kick your dog while letting you believe you won the lottery that day and no matter how things might go sideways Nikki plays out his part with such a cold calculated efficiency that he always lands on his feet with his pockets full he's been able to do all that by following one simple rule there's no room for heart in this game you can't care about the mark you can't care about who gets hurt you can't even care about your partners in the con now there's a problem for Nikki though he's met someone someone special he can't get out of his head her name is Jess and she's hit him with an emotional broadside that's left him reeling and caring she's a thief too and she's getting pretty good at it under Nikki's tutelage in fact they fit together in every way better than any two people he's ever known but that shouldn't matter it can't matter he needs to walk away he can't keep caring if you let heart get between you and a job you can lose your focus if Nikki knows nothing else he knows that this business is all about focus and he's losing it positive elements this film is focused on people who steal for a living so there's not a lot to praise in their actions except to say that among Thieves there is a certain standard of Honor upheld here and the film does suggest that love can have a softening positive effect even on the most heartless thus Nikki warns Jess to get out of crime before it hurts her spiritual elements a fellow Thief suggests that he should take it up with God when Nikki asks him a rhetorical question sexual content a number of of women in clubs and at poolside wear outfits that expose curves and cleavage Jess is the camera's favorite subject when it comes to hbling we see her naked and topless in a short yet quite sensual sex scene with Nikki and we see her in various stages of undress from a skimpy bikini and Lacy undies to form fitting dresses a man has sex with a prostitute and the camera examines her lower back and bare backside while highlighting a stamp she wears a comrade in crime accidentally shows Jess a picture of his penis on his phone out of the frame jokes are interjected about straight and gay sex violent content a hired thug purposely Rams his SUV into Nikki's car leaving Nikki and Jess bruised slashed and bleeding Nikki and Jess both get punched in the face a man is shot in the chest and appears to be bleeding out a suction device is plunged into someone's chest to extract the blood from his lungs his wounds are then wrapped in duct tape until he can be transported to the hospital crude or profane language over 50 f-words and 20 swords join multiple uses of H and DN gods and Jesus names are abused a dozen or more times with Gods twice getting linked with DN crude Andor obscene references are made to male and female body parts drug and alcohol content wine and hard liquor flow freely during several dinner scenes and parties and while a group sits in an outdoor Cafe Crooks toast their success with glasses of champagne a wealthy owner Downs shots and guzzles champagne while watching his race car run the track we see several people smoking both cigarettes and a cigar Jess jokes about having been given a ruy conclusion early on Nikki tells the igot toan Jess that if you redirect a Mark's Focus you can pretty much do whatever you want then he proceeds to demonstrate his point while he banters redirecting her Focus repeatedly so he can lightly lift her possessions by film's end we and the audience come to see that the movie itself has been playing that same slight of hand game on us read directing our gaze with likable characters and easy pace and pleasant settings then surprising us several times with the storin it's concocted it is quite frankly an interesting experience it isn't however always a good one for like a grimy pickpocket's hand the movie leaves something behind as it executes its cinematic faint we're left with some dirty mental fingerprints made up of an abundance of foul language and crude dialogue mixed with some sexy fleshy visuals and we're left with the unfocused idea that well executed lies theft and cons are something quite special and beautiful to behold