Focus centers around the life of veteran con man Nicky "Mellow" Spurgeon (Smith). Spurgeon has swindled and stolen millions of dollars over his two decades in the business thanks to his fast hands, brilliant scheming and ability to never waver from his deep web of lies. During a trip to New York, a young woman named Jess (Margot Robbie) attempts to seduce and hustle Nicky, which proves to be wildly unsuccessful. Months later, Jess tracks down Nicky in New Orleans to seek professional advice, which forces Nicky to reluctantly take her under his wing and shows her the tricks of the trade. Jess joins Spurgeon and his team as they execute a series of major scores in the Big Easy during the week of the Super Bowl, and during that time Jess falls madly in love with Nicky. Despite having feelings for her, Nicky doesn't want to have love interfere with his work and quickly cuts off contact with Jess after their work is complete.
Three years later, Nicky is embarking on one of the biggest cons of his career in Buenos Aires, Argentina when billionaire Formula One team owner Rafael Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro) hires Nicky to pose as a disgruntled engineer for his racing team and sell a bogus engine component to a rival owner (Robert Taylor) that will slow down his cars ahead of the upcoming championship race. Everything is going smoothly until he's at a pre-race party and he discovers that Jess is dating Garriga. For the first time in his career, Nicky begins to lose focus and soon the entire con is in jeopardy due to Jess' awareness of his calculated methods.
From the snappy dialogue to the beautiful locations, Focus oozes a vast level of cool that makes the film incredibly fun to watch. Writer/directing duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have created a slick, engrossing world full of colorful characters that only becomes more interesting as the film progresses. As you would probably expect with a film centered around the art of deception, the twists pile up as the film goes on and you never get a sense of whose playing who until the dust finally settles in the final five minutes of the film. A film with this many sudden plot turns could've been really messy, but Ficarra and Requa's intelligent, well-constructed script makes sure that never becomes the case.
The clever writing and striking cinematography gives Focus a solid outline for success, but its the work of its two leads that push the film from pretty good to truly great. Smith and Robbie are perfectly tailored for the film's suave nature and have an effortless chemistry that just explodes off the screen. The likability and charm that defined Smith's early days as an actor is on full display in Focus. Smith is visibly having a blast in this role and his confident performance here reminds audiences everywhere just how electric he can be when given a role that properly showcases his talent.
While Smith showed the world he's still got the same charisma that made him a star 25 years ago on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Robbie is showing the film world that she has the makings of a bonafide superstar. Robbie had a supporting role in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street as Leonardo DiCaprio's second wife, but Focus is her first chance to truly be in the spotlight and she just crushes it. Robbie has that quintessential Hollywood "it factor" that floors you from the moment she first appears on screen. She is a fearless performer who embodies each character she plays and has the range to convey dramatic depth and comedic sass with equal dexterity. If she ends up becoming an A-lister in the future, her success should be linked back to her tremendous performance here. Focus is a witty, entertaining ride that serves as a stellar showcase for the talent of its cast and crew, and far exceeds the quality of films you typically see in the early months of the calendar year.
4/5 Stars
