Focus

Will Smith is back in Hitch: How to Get the Girl, Also Some Cash. There's overwhelming opulence, exotic setting and beautiful ladies at display here for the grand dramatization of thievery. It showcases a glamorous lifestyle, riches and ladies, portrayed by the charismatic leads. However, the movie recycles this material too often and having too much investment in lovey-dovey banters does wear the tension thin.

Story follows Nicky (Will Smith), a veteran thief who meets with Jess (Margot Robbie), an aspiring thief. Together they embark on a swindling journey, manipulating people and each other into giving what they want. 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.

This is at heart a romance movie, with the backdrop of felony, not the other way around. The liaison aspect is scrutinized deeper than the actual thefts. This should be fine as both Smith and Robbie are capable leads, but it tends to lose momentum after the many times it uses "He loves me, he loves me not" gimmick. It's more of a light relationship than an intense trickery exchange, while pretty entertaining it's barely enough to keep the suspense.

The film possesses a stylish colorful cinematography. Design for costume and the vista are very suave, something out of a page of rich people magazine. It offers fantasy celebrity nuance, a brighter side of crime, so to speak. Its choice of soundtracks reflects it as well, playing classy tunes to serenade heist and courtship. While the plans might not be masterful, there are some good plot twists to unveil here.

With fascinating set and actors Focus is a decent drama film, but to reach thrilling suspense it needs to focus more on plundering instead of plowing.

If you stopped for an hour and dissected this film you WILL find problems, like how the audience is meant to root for borderline sociopathic criminals or how the structure isn't what they're used to... HOWEVER, if you go in just expecting to be entertained and if you have a particular fondness for hustle movies, this is one enjoyable movie. The charming but not over-the-top humour consistently keeps the story entertaining and by not following the usual structure of a movie this kind, and ultimately the one the trailer promised, it offers something new to the mix. I can see the multiple twists as a turn off for some expecting a deeper film but if you know what you're in for I think the multiple twists in the film's final act will one-after-another bring a smile to your face and even have you laughing. Will Smith harnesses his charm to success in this flick and Margot has effectively proved herself as not being a one-hit-wonder. This is not a bad film, though I do believe your enjoyment hinges on your expectations when going into it. Don't expect the next Ocean's 11, expect a charming, funny, well acted, smartly written, hustle movie that will undoubtedly be drowned out by mixed reviews from people expecting gold and can't appreciate really good silver.

Focus is not a really good movie. It's not a really bad movie either though. If you don't have a problem with Will Smith (and his relationship in this movie), you might be able to enjoy this. There are a couple of things in here, that are nicely told and shot (like the explanation or "how-to" guide).

We concentrate on Will Smith and the movie tries to keep things mysterious which works at times, though the resolution of most of those mysteries are mostly disappointing. If you don't care for that, there is light fun to be had here. The chemistry sometimes is not what the movie will or would want you it to be, but overall it's a decent con movie

I am a huge fan of Will Smith's acting and adorable Margot Robbie, she's stunning and is in my mind the best female actress out there by far. She's improved a lot since this film was made even.

Although the concept of watching grifters operate was interesting it just couldn't ever seem to elevate or establish a solid story. Instead you watch just kind of waiting and expecting Smiths character and Robbie's character all in love. The awkward part about it though is that despite that being what the film is going for, I don't really see any on screen chemistry between Smith and Robbie. At the very least it feels very artificial.

The scene at the football game is epic though. That scene alone made the film worth watching for me. Brilliantly set up and acted by all involved. In fact I'd recommend you skip the movies and just watch that scene on YouTube.

-Focus (2015) movie review: -Focus is a crime flick that follows con-man Nicky, played by Will Smith, as he meets and trains a new counterpart Jess, played by Margot Robbie, in the ways of being a con-artist. This comes complete with twists, trust issues, rich people, and all kinds of Oceans 11 style problems.

-For what it was, I really enjoyed Focus. It has a few small problems, but was good.

-The story felt original and was hard to predict, making the twists even better and more shocking. Even if they were a tiny bit forced.

-The pace was really good for the first half, and the second half. But the first half is all fun and the second half is all plot. Neither was bad, but the second half was less fun.

-The acting is really good. Both Will and Margot did a great job! -The characters are deep and interesting. Will Smiths character especially had a lot to offer in the way of charisma and twists.

-The music was fitting and some of it was memorable.

-Another thing I liked was seeing the inside of the whole con-man thing you see in movies. Like stealing watches looks so much cooler in this because they explain it.

-Really the negatives are small. There are some inconsistencies and some added drama that takes the audience out of reality alittle, but it was compelling, well-made, and entertaining! There is not that much else to say, because Focus is worth seeing in theaters! -It is rated-R for some language, a moderate, but not heavy amount, and some brief sexual content. A PG-13 amount probably.