Midway through his new feature Focus. Will Smith’s given
the self-reflective line of dialogue, “I still got it.” That his character, con
man extraordinaire Nicky Spurgeon, is face down drunk on the floor is of no
consequence. The world’s most popular
movie star is declaring his return to the spotlight after the debacle that was
2013’s After Earth. And while Focus is not a complete success, it gives Smith a chance to do what he does best-
charm us and command our attention every time he’s on screen.
Nicky Spurgeon (Smith) is a con man with grand plans and a
modest but effective team that camps out at huge events to take advantage of
the many rubes that flock to them. In
this case, it’s a mock Super Bowl (the pesky NFL wouldn’t allow them to use the
real event as a backdrop so we’re left with a big game involving the Miami
Rhinos and Chicago Thrashers, whoever they are.) they descend upon, as the
pickings are easy. Distracted tourists,
drunk revelers and cheating spouses are all easy marks and before you know it,
wallets are being lifted, identities are being stolen and valuables being
filched. The newest member of the crew,
Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie, in a star-making turn) has a light touch but her
biggest asset is her great beauty, which she uses to her advantage. Not only are her marks putty in her hands,
but Spurgeon commits the cardinal sin of falling for his protégée as well.
Realizing this is a mistake Spurgeon lets his head rule his
heart and cuts her loose. He thinks this
clean break will put an end to things between them but the world con artists
exist in must be a small one as they cross paths again three years later as
Spurgeon has his eyes on stealing a piece of technology from an arrogant
Formula One racer (Rodrigo Santoro) who, wait for it, Jess is involved with.
As rendered by co-directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa,
who also wrote the script, the characters at play are lovable charming rogues
living a lifestyle the rest of us can only dream. In the best Hollywood tradition, the film
portrays these thieves as characters to be admired, when in reality these are
the ones that ruin your life. But, the
viewer isn’t supposed to consider this, as they’re required to sit back and be
dazzled by the beauty and charm that’s on display as well as get sucked in by
the scams these people pull.
As an exercise in diversion, Focus isn’t half bad and at
times, very entertaining. The two most elaborate
schemes are slickly executed pieces in which the viewer is played for the fool
just like the mark in question. The
better of the two involves the big game and a billionaire, compulsive gambler
(B.D. Wong) who gets taken due to a series of elaborate subliminal messages
while Jess – unaware of what’s going on – unknowingly provides the final piece
of the puzzle to push him over the edge.
It’s an expertly executed sequence as the filmmakers increase the tension
to the breaking point before finally delivering a punch line that’s as funny as
it is audacious. To be sure, the
directors play fast and loose with the plausibility factor, as you’ll be
wondering if all Spurgeon and his cohorts pull off is possible. However, thinking about all of this ruins the
fun and for the most part, Ficarra and Requa execute all of this at such a
breezy pace, you don’t really care if all the pieces fit or not.
If nothing else, Focus is the very definition of a star
vehicle as the script plays to Smith’s strengths. While it would be unfair to say he coasts
through the film, you hardly see him break a sweat either. No matter, it’s been far too long since we’ve
seen him in his element and it’s a treat to watch him being as effortlessly
cool as he is here. Robbie recognizes
this for the opportunity it is and nearly steals the film from the
veteran. Yes, she is beautiful but she
can act as well, giving as good as she gets when going toe-to-toe with Smith
and showing more range than you’d expect.
More than anything, these two are obviously having fun together and it
translates on screen, as the chemistry they generate is genuine enough to have
me believe that they weren’t conning the audience for a second.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2015.
