Focus

It's been a while, Will Smith, it's been a long while.

Somewhat still wounded after his "blockbuster" with his son, After Earth, it seems that Smith has been taking some time to read his scripts a little more lately.

It's a bit odd seeing an actor, who is often so prominent in the summer months, releasing a smaller film in February, but I'm not necessarily complaining.

Looking back, I was a bit worried about this one. The trailers were good, but I had a gut feeling that, with it being a movie about cons and all, it would fall apart under its own weight. We've seen it happen before, where a film thinks it's being clever by adding layer after layer, and twist after twist, and then it all falls apart.

Also, despite how great Margot Robbie was in The Wolf of Wall Street, I wasn't entirely convinced of her consistency as of yet seeing as how that was her big breakthrough performance.

Luckily, most of my worries were unfounded and Focus, while not as phenomenal as its first hour would indicate, is a really fun film from beginning to end.

Smith plays con man extraordinaire, Nicky, who pretty much has his own "company" where his "employees" are all con experts as well. They steal stuff, sell it, and make a pretty penny from all of it. Although she is introduced into the film somewhat haphazardly, Robbie plays Jess, a talented, but up and coming con woman. Robbie proves that she is much more than just a incredibly pretty face and I'm really beginning to enjoy her screen presence. Smith is very charismatic, and easily owns the screen -- just as he has always done. It's kind of funny that it seems this is a bit of a tease for the two's future project together, Suicide Squad, but they certainly have the chemistry together, especially with word play. Which brings me to probably the highlight of the film: the script. It's often very funny, and characters rattle off lines quickly and naturally, most of which is very interesting dialogue. There aren't that many films where you are hanging on almost every word, but I found myself really focused on what the characters were saying (pun somewhat intended).

Will Smith: he even makes creepin` look cool as hell

You just pulled those tickets out of where?!

The screenplay is also superb, especially for the first hour of the film when it is firing on all cylinders. It's an interesting world that we are introduced to and there is a playful fun to the film as an audience member. Focus is one of those films that you're trying to guess what is going to happen the whole time, but also paying close attention to gather clues. The latter half of the film is still very good, although I find there were some logic gaps (a few scenes in particular don't make much sense once the ending is revealed), and overall, a lot of the film hangs on chance. A film basing some core elements on coincidence has always bothered me more than most, but I found it slightly more annoying in a film that would have you believe that chance doesn't exist. Truly though, other than that, I don't have many complaints. I could argue that the film slows down for a certain portion, and it's a bit of a one time view (one of those that once you know the ending, it spoils the fun) but I don't think those are things that should necessarily be held against it.

Focus also works because it has some great production values. The cinematography is at least always "good", but often great -- showing everything that you need to see and helping you to truly believe you know what is going on. I also liked the play with the actual focus of the camera, where at times, the picture gets blurry and then sharpens up again. It's a technique that I've always enjoyed when done right and it's a fun homage to the title of the film. On top of that, the soundtrack is a lot of fun, just as the trailers would have you believe, and the songs are well picked.


One of the best scenes in the film

I'm a bit surprised that Focus was reserved for a February release. I think it could have pulled in decent crowds during a slower weekend of the summer. Either way though, it really is a treat of a film and one of those where I recognized, this is why we go to the movies. It's fun, it keeps you guessing, it's funny, and ultimately it all pays off in the end rather than collapsing like so many similar films before it.

Clearly the creative team was focused when they made it. Haha! What? No? Ok...I'll end this post now.

CONS:

• Slows down in the second half a bit
• A lot of the story hinges on chance and that always kind of irks me
• For what it's worth, this is pretty much a one-time view film
• A bit unbelievable at times (i.e. huge bags of money at the Super Bowl?)
• A few logic gaps, especially after you know the ending

PROS:

• Fantastic script and screenplay. As an audience member, it's really fun to play along with the character and try to stay ahead of the curve. Bonus points for mostly sticking the landing too
• Robbie and Smith have great chemistry and are both really strong female/male leads
• Often pretty funny and Margot Robbie's laugh will just make you want to laugh right along
• Great cinematography and "focusing" camera technique. Effective, but not overdone
• Good twists
• There are some truly stellar scenes in here. The Super Bowl betting was my favorite
• Awesome soundtrack that fits well
• A fun time at the movies

Rath's Review Score: 8.5/10