In the midst of veteran con man Nicky's latest scheme, a woman from his past - now an accomplished femme fatale - shows up and throws his plans for a loop.
While helping his latest client woo the woman of his dreams, a professional "date doctor" finds that his game doesn't quite work on the gossip columnist with whom he's smitten.
In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.
Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure in this post-apocalyptic action thriller.
Retreating from life after a tragedy, a man questions the universe by writing to Love, Time, and Death. Receiving unexpected answers, he begins to see how these things interlock and how even loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.
Hancock is a superhero whose ill-considered behavior regularly causes damage in the millions. He changes when the person he saves helps him improve his public image.
A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
Nicky Spurgeon is an extremely accomplished con man who takes an amateur con artist, Jess, under his wing. Nicky and Jess become romantically involved, and with Nicky's profession of being a liar and a cheater for a living, he realizes that deception and love are things that don't go together. They split, only to see each other three years later... And things get messy.
Margot Robbie was vacationing with her brother on an island in Croatia when she got the call that the directors wanted her to audition. She had arrived at the hotel at 6 a.m., and needed to catch a flight the same day. She packed everything in 20 minutes and took a catamaran to the main island, then a bus to the airport. She waited in the airport for six hours, flew to France, then got a six-hour flight to New York. When she arrived in New York, she found out her luggage had been lost. However, she got to the audition on time, wearing denim shorts, a t-shirt, and no makeup. When Will Smith arrived late, saying he "was coming from Queens", Robbie said "Yeah? Well, I just came from an island off Croatia and I'm here on time." Robbie believes that reply got her the role. See more »
Goofs
Between the $50,000 and $100,000 bets at the "Super Bowl", despite it being portrayed as happening almost immediately, not only has possession gone from the Thrashers to the Rhinos but, apparently, a new quarter has started because the teams have switched field directions.
This is not a goof, because it's not portrayed as happening almost immediately. There's a time-compressing cut in scenes, since the main characters have also suddenly changed position, from the field-facing rows of seats to the lounge area behind the rows of seats. Furthermore, all people in the skybox have now shifted their focus from the football match to the bets between Nicky and Liyuan. These things all indicate that it has taken Liyuan's assistants some time to bring the suitcase with money, which the movie simply skips over. See more »
Quotes
Nicky:
I wish you the best of luck.
Garriga:
With friends like you, who needs luck?
See more »
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.
14 of 24 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
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.