Review: FOCUS

 

Chemistry is everything! It can’t be manufactured or taught.  Margot Robbie and Will Smith have chemistry in FOCUS that is so hot it scorches the screen!  I’m already looking for the sequel!

Taking a little from Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Grifters, Focus features Smith as Nicky, an experienced con-man, who loses his laser focus when a former partner and lady love Jess (Robbie) meet up eight years later in the middle of con. Her presence throws him for a loop that he may or may not recover from.

Not since Six Degrees of Separation have we seen Smith play a con-man, but what a difference a flick and 20 years makes.  Smith’s acting has grown by leaps and bounds over the course of his career.  In Focus, it’s the moments where there is no dialogue at all that is most compelling and the full scope of his range flourishes.  Filmmaking is collecting human behavior and Will Smith’s collection has paid off in spades over the decades.

Being a fan of Robbie’s from her days on the hit Australian series “Neighbours”, I was happy to see that she’s  joined the ranks of the latest Down Under imports to take over the silver screen in America.  She scorches everytime she shows up and makes acting, while being stunningly beautiful look very easy and attainable.

The film started off a little slow for me, but once it kicked over into high gear it stayed there right through to the end.  What an enjoyable, breathtaking ride it was!

One of my favorite scenes was when Nicky gives Jess a pickpocket 101 crash course in the dead of winter in New York.  BD Wong was spectacular and Adrian Martinez, the official “sidekick to the stars” does not disappoint. The biggest twist was finding out out who Nicky’s infamous grifter Dad was.   I won’t spoil it for you, but it was truly a highlight of the film.

Focus opened in theaters on February 27th and can be seen in theaters now!