Movie Review
Review Focus
Will Smith stars as Nicky Spurgeon, a third-generation criminal who never holds a gun and never hurts anyone – besides the financial losses they suffer at his sticky hands. He doesn't steal big things, like, say, a load of gold bullion, a famous painting or the cash-on-hand from three Las Vegas Casinos. He steals watches and necklaces, wallets and handbags, credit cards and cash. He calls it a "volume business". He can steal so quickly and so frequently that he makes quite a good living for himself – and sometimes for his friends. He has a crew that he occasionally uses for big events, like the Super Bowl, where there are big crowds with lots of money and valuables on hand. And there is honor amongst this group of thieves. Everyone gets a fair cut. No back-stabbing involved. Well, almost none.
Into this world stumbles Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie), an aspiring thief who is foiled in one of her ill-conceived "jobs" by Nicky and begs him to teach her a few things. Rather than a thief, he calls himself a con man. That tells us a couple important things about Nicky: He takes pride in his cerebral approach to stealing and he's cut out for more than glorified purse snatching – and he knows it. Jess knows it too, but for now, she's content with learning as much as she can from this very talented criminal. Nicky and his cohorts put Jess to the test in a crowd of people. She does well enough to earn a spot with the Super Bowl Snatchers (my term, not theirs, but it fits) – and in a bigger con that follows. Three years later, they both find themselves in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a big Formula One race. They're each involved in some way with Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro), the shady owner of one of the race teams. This situation opens the door for Nicky's biggest con yet – and one with a lot more at stake than "just" money.
The start is really promising, it was great to watch the cons take place, we were given some incredibly intense sequences. One in particular took place at a football game which really made me feel the heart-racing tension that Will Smith's character was feeling at the time. The movie does slow down towards the middle before picking up again which let it down a bit, because it could have been more given the cast and promising start. The characters I thought were very believable and there was no far- fetched business which sometimes ruin movies like this.
Led by the charismatic Will Smith, Focus boasts an interesting anti-hero. He's very versatile, able to perform in comedic as well as more serious tone. Robbie has a wide range of acting too, she seems natural although sometimes leaning heavily on femme fatale cliché.
Focus is not the best movie in the world, but it has some intricate mechanics that keep you on your toes. I admit it is not the most exciting adventure, but there is more than enough drama and romance to keep most engaged. The acting is good, the techniques are entertaining, and the movie is only 100 minutes long, all positives in my book.
0 comments