Focus in On This New Crime Thriller

by Matt Schaefer

     Every so often when you go to the movies, it’s more fun to root for the people that do the dirty work. Whether it be going for a bit of the old ultra-violence with Alex and his droogs in A Clockwork Orange or trying to determine the rat in the pack in Reservoir Dogs, bad guys can be just as fun as the good guys. And when that bad guy happens to be the king of cool Will Smith, it just makes the cheers come easier. Such is the case in the new con-artist flick Focus.

    What’s interesting about Focus is that it doesn’t have a typical plot. Instead, the movie follows the life of Nicky (played by Smith) as he meets a younger and less experienced con named Jess (played by Margot Robbie). We go along as these two as they play the streets for everything they’re worth and break the rules of the game by falling for each other.

    The writing of Focus is definitely its strongest suit, ending up being a cross between The Sting and Now You See Me. We immediately are intrigued by the characters the writers establish in this world of thievery and end up enjoying every step of the criminal thrill ride the characters go on. The cinematography accompanies the script brilliantly. There are moments of the film that are blurry, often during emotional scenes, which regain focus when clarity is achieved. We follow each member of Nicky’s ring as he or she picks and nicks everything that strikes his or her fancy. It’s a cool touch being able to see how the lifestyle works, but it’s also a very frightening concept that it can be just that easy.

    However, the story isn’t 100 percent sound. The attempt to establish an antagonist in the final act of the film isn’t very interesting when the film has been so successful without having a typical good guy/bad guy story. And as much as I love Will Smith, I feel like he’s been playing the same character since he came to cinema (think Hitch as a professional thief).

    In the end, Focus was a very cool film to sit through. The artistic filming techniques and solid script kept me entertained the whole way through. Just don’t go in expecting anything earth shattering. It’s just Will Smith doing what he does best: being cool.