Quick: What was the last glossy Hollywood film for adults (read: R-rated) that Will Smith headlined? Skipping over the risible Bad Boys 2, one has to go back to Ali (2001) and Enemy of State (1998), films that carry the stamp of their directors rather than their leading man. Neither was a Movie Star vehicle for Smith in the classic sense. If Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s slick new thriller Focus achieves nothing else, it gives Smith’s sexy, charming, and slightly dangerous side the space to truly shine.
Smith portrays Nicky, a skilled thief and confidence man who helms a thirty-strong circle of crooks, but still enjoys pilfering luxury watches with a handshake. His eager new acolyte Jess (Margot Robbie) exhibits a natural flair for the con that Nicky finds alluring, and before long they tumble into bed. However, this doesn’t stop him from discarding her after a risky, mind-bending feat of grift during the Super Bowl. Three years later, Nicky is working a complex Formula One racing con in Buenos Aries, pitting millionaire team owner Garrriga (Rodrigo Santoro) against his rivals. The job is disrupted by the unexpected appearance of Jess, who shows up on Garriga’s arm and may be running a scam of her own. Complications of both the criminal and romantic sort ensue.
On the whole, Focus is a nimble and gratifying work of escapism, oozing with style and just clever enough to stand out from the pack. Writer-directors Ficarra and Requa take pleasure in tweaking the viewer’s expectations, not by piling up improbable twists, but by cracking a metaphorical grin whenever the tropes seem too hackneyed or the mood gets too serious. Robbie bluntly sums up the film’s tone when she queries, half-amused, half-exasperated: “Is he f***ing with me?” In Focus, the answer is always: yeah, a little.
Focus opens Friday, February 27 in wide release.
