Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro
Running Time: 104 minutes
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: Career conman Nick (Smith) takes newbie Jess (Robbie) under his wing, but will their burgeoning relationship ruin the con of their lives?
It’s been a while since Will Smith made a decent film, we’ve still got a bitter taste in our mouth from AFTER EARTH, but after viewing FOCUS we are happy to report that his career is back on track. The role of charming nice guy Nick fits Smith like a glove, he oozes his usual charm and charisma. Usually the person who steals the movie, Smith find his thunder taken by the magnetic Margot Robbie. Her portrayal of new-to-the-business Jess is disarmingly alluring. She manages to pump in some real moments of light and shade into her character. The chemistry between the pair is electric, think Jolie and Pitt in MR AND MRS SMITH and you’re on the right track. It’s not hard to see how the tabloids got the wrong end of the stick whilst the pair were filming. They will of course reunite for the new SUICIDE SQUAD film which should be pretty special.
FOCUS starts with a bang as our two leads collide, it easily seduces the viewer with its cast of likeable characters and its unexpected comedy; Robbie especially shows that she has a knack for cons and plays for laughs effortlessly. The film looses a bit of energy towards the end as the story takes the expected poignant turn, and struggles to get back to its grand beginnings.
The world painted by FOCUS is spectacularly luxurious, every character is drenched in designer gear and diamonds. So glamorised is the lifestyle that you might find yourself getting out your pen and paper ready to note down the tricks of the trade for future reference. FOCUS’ story, however, is sadly fairly formulaic and fans of the classic heist movies won’t see anything new from the plot.
Overall FOCUS is a harmless, happy-go-lucky, light-hearted heist tale with a solid comedic core. Welcome back Mr Smith.
[usr=3] FOCUS is released in UK cinemas from Friday 27th February.
