A review by CJ Dee
Nicky (Smith) is a con artist who ‘falls prey’ to Jess’s (Robbie) bungled con. Jess persuades him to take her into his gang and show her the ropes. When he falls for her, Nicky leaves before things can become too complicated.
Several years later they reunite while he is on a con and things become more complicated than Nicky could have ever imagined.
Will Smith is always fun to watch in his comedic roles and Focus is no different. However, the real stand out for this reviewer was Australia’s own Margot Robbie. Her performance was charming and, paired with Smith, they create a great balance.
It’s not often that I make predictions throughout a film and they turn out to be incorrect. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, it’s just an unfortunate side-effect of watching LOTS of films. Focus managed to trick me several times though. For that the writer, director, cast and crew deserve praise. In the wrong hands a film with so many working parts could end up a big ole mess, but that was far from the case.
If you enjoy heist films with more twists than a bag of appropriately named chips, then this reviewer would recommend giving Focus a chance to wow you.
‘It’s about distraction. It’s about focus. The brain is slow and it can’t multitask. Tap him here, take from there.’
Director: Glen Ficarra, John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Adrian Martinez, Rodrigo Santoro
Other notable appearances: Margot Robbie was so good, I need to mention her twice
Running time: 105 minutes
Watch this if you liked: Ocean’s Eleven to Thirteen, Spy Game, Men In Black
Rating: 
4 out of 5 stars
