Focus (2015)

I was lucky enough to catch an early preview of Focus last night. I must say, the film surpassed many of my already low expectations of the film. Despite this plus, the film never really has that WOW factor to it. Written and Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Reque, the same duo behind Crazy, Stupid Love, Focus feels more like a love letter to Steven Soderbergh than a film that can stand on its own two feet. Much like its inspirations, Focus aspires to be a great film and almost succeeds but the difference between Focus and films such as Ocean's Eleven and The Grifters is that this ends up feeling like it is trying too hard to wear its inspirations on it sleeve rather than be its own beast. Following Nicky, a brilliant con man and Jess, his sultry apprentice, as they fall in love all while trying achieve the perfect con, the story is decent enough to warrant a feature film but executed really poorly. Lets be honest here, there are no shortage of films very similar to this but what sets Focus apart from the rest is its sleek look. The look of this film is intoxicating, every shot is crisp and clear but also has a constant cloud over it all, as if the murkiness of these characters are affecting their environment. I'm sure there is a sub text to it all, its a shame the film isn't as cool as it looks because if it were, this really could have been something. The performances here are merely OK. Will Smith feels like a miscast here. The role of Nicky feels more like an Idris Elba type, a bit more suave and skinnier. Will Smith feels one step behind the entire cast when he really should at least try and act as if he is ahead of the curve. Margot Robbie is good but she is merely rehashing her sultry goddess performance from The Wolf of Wall Street minus the Brooklyn accent, adding very little substance to Jess and making her merely something nice to look at which is really troublesome considering Jess is probably the best character in the film. It made me wish Ficarra and Reque wrote the film around her rather than Nicky. But in the end, after their worlds collide, there's very little to take away from it all and the story plays out with a slight twist and a turn but nothing really surprising or original. Overall, Focus benefits from its sleek and sexy look but fails to deliver a good con man film, instead it delivers a lackluster romance film surrounded by crime elements that just don't really click

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

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

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

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

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

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

.

Let this movie serve as a cautionary tale for dummies who want to make a con artist movie—Don't. You are out of your depth.

This movie made no sense. The romance in it made no emotional sense and was not set up properly. The twist was obvious, and made no sense. See instead: The Grifters, The Sting, House of Games, Oceans Eleven, The Spanish Prisoner, Film Flam Man, Match Stick Men.

Whoever in New Orleans agreed to have this shot there did not read the script. It portrays New Orleans as the leading American city in which to get your valuables jacked.

If you believe someone could pull your wedding ring off your finger without you noticing it, you will maybe like this film.

If you still insist on seeing this, check your logic at the door or be prepared to be angry. Don't say you weren't warned.

Focus fmovies. Not really sure how this film has got some poor reviews. It was clever, funny and overall kept my focus (Pardon the pun).

Will Smith is fantastic in this film, not being an over-exuberant character, which I feel some people were expecting in this film. His on screen relationship with Margot Robbie was very good, and I feel she has not got as much credit for this film as she deserves.

Some fantastic camera shots, and great locations add a little bit extra to this film.

I would advise not listening to reviews and going to see it for yourself and making the decision on your own. Enjoy!

You know a movie is bad when it doesn't even follow it's tagline.

Unfortunately, this is the case in Focus, a disjointed, needlessly convoluted misfire from directors Glenn Ficarra and John Request and a talented cast that includes Margot Robbie and Will Smith.

Focus starts relatively well, displaying many cool scenes of pickpocketing as Smith tries to lure Robbie into the business. However, soon all of this turns out to be a distraction of the real plot, that is the big time con, which is an absolute letdown.

There is plenty of filler in the middle, particularly a clever but ultimately pointless 20 minute scene at an American football match. While it is impressive to watch, it doesn't contribute anything to the plot.

Soon, they move on to the next big con which is completely unrelated to the last (that shows how useless the start was) full of ever more filler, more deception, more forced humour and more lame twists.

The third act is a disaster with the plot double or should I say, triple crossing itself like a spider's web on a spider's web on a spider's web. Nothing is clear and the explanations are given vaguely and lamely. There is more humour that doesn't work again in the end.

Will Smith is lazy as the main lead and Margot Robbie is functional as his love interest / sidekick. The side characters are all equally functional and forgettable.

Overall, Focus is a terrible con movie which cons the audience with it's good trailer and impressive cast, which can't save this convoluted mess from it's filler filled plot.

No one had heard of Margot Robbie until 'The Wolf of Wall Street' came about. Now, it seems that every Director wants her in their film. How could they not; when she enthralled audiences everywhere with an exceedingly rare female role in a film. A character that is determined and strong willed. Don't get me wrong Robbie is entitled to further roles, I just cannot shake off the feeling that the Directors pulled off a con involving her, so that she could become the female lead in 'Focus'. It should be noted that never has a title had less relevance for a feature film. Because if anything the majority of this film is out of focus and you can include the script in that statement as well.

It's not all bad though. The first thirty minutes is entertaining. However, I mean this in a, if you leave your brain at home way. Don't think too much and you may have a blast, but that's only if you never use your brain during a film. If you do, then there's the door, I suggest you walk through it.

Nicky is a con artist played blandly yet again by Will Smith, who has only ever been well cast in a film once – 'Men in Black'. He takes up Jess played by Margot Robbie mustering her acting talent and trying as hard as she did in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' to impress. She becomes his protégé, con artist and lover. They try to become romantically involved and it does not work out. Nicky eventually tracks her down to win back her affection and talent as a con artist.

Unfortunately, cracks in the film appear frequently, too large to brush aside and ignore. Consider the opening scene where Nicky tries to bed Jess. It works to his advantage and all of it happens according to his plan. But, we as an audience do not buy it. He barely knows the girl and not five minutes of chit chat has taken place, when they decide to get down to business. I know he is Will Smith and all. I'm sure he has women falling at his feet. But this seems rather far-fetched. Especially when this love turns out to be more than a one night stand and they are fully fledged romantically. The decisions that they partake seem rash, perhaps it was this lack of character development that led me to become distanced from the film in the process.

The script thinks it's very clever and is far too cock sure. This brings to mind another film about deception, trickery and cons. That made no sense at all in the slightest and was all too lacking when it came to character motivation and plausibility. 'Now You See Me'. Both of these films are firmly rooted in the nineties, with old jokes and plot twists so dumb it would have a toddler second guessing the events of the film. Another comparison to be made is that they both possess visual gleam. Take that away and they are just cheap parlour tricks to conceal their true identity.

If I am putting my points across to you again and again, then I'm sorry. But at least it parallels the repetitiveness of the film itself. What starts out as clever movements of characters who steal wallets and other personal belongings from random citizens grows tiresome quickly. Seen one con and you have seen them all. Don't get me going again about the romance that has been stamped on so that couples will flock to the cinema. Do we ever feel involved in their emotions? Do we feel for the characters? Do we in fact buy their romance at all for a second? The answer to all of them above is a definite no! The con clearly is on with 'Focus', not on the oblivious