Synopsis – 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.

My Take – I was lucky enough to catch an early preview of Focus last night. The romantic crime comedy stars Will Smith. Yes! The same movie star Will Smith who most of us have grown up watching & frankly It’s been a decade since Will Smith was “The Will Smith” onscreen. Sure, he’s made movies in the last ten years; science-fiction pictures, some good dramas & comedies (I think?) & a Men In Black sequel (I am not going to count that one). He even played Satan, (Spoiler : a cameo in last year’s Winter’s Tale) once. But none of them reminded us of the awesome Will Smith persona that everyone loves; the infectious charm, the wry smile, the cocky but casual swagger. Smith’s last so called starring role was 2013’s After Earth with Director M.Night Shamalan, where he attempted to pass on his stardom to his annoying son.

That film was so bad I cant even begin to comprehend. Luckily, this film has that classic Will Smith stuff we have been awaiting, but unfortunately thats probably the only talking point. The story begins when Nicky (Will Smith) & Jess (Margot Robbie) meet by chance in a bar as she’s fleeing a disastrous date. A few hours later she invites him up to her hotel room, where they’re interrupted by her “husband.” He pulls a gun; Nicky barely moves a muscle. It’s a con, and a bad one, and Nicky, an experienced grifter, sees right through it. But he likes Jess despite her inexperience and follows her out of the hotel. He offers some pointers on pickpocketing, and when she trails him to New Orleans, where Nicky’s team is working the high rollers at a big football game, he gladly lets her join as their “intern” and resident bombshell. Saying what happens beyond that set-up would risk spoiling the surprises, and a con man movie is all about the surprises. Maybe that’s why I enjoy them so much; at a time when most Hollywood genres have grown stale, con films are almost refreshingly hard to predict. Even though the film surpasses many of my already low expectations from the film, it never really has that awesome factor to it & yes its fun, but the main problem with the film is that it aspires to be a great film and almost succeeds at time, but yet ends up feeling like it is trying too hard to overcome its inspirations from similar films like the Oceans Series etc rather than being its own. Other than its sleek look, it does not feel any different.

I totally agree with something what I read online – “Written and Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Reque, the same duo behind Crazy, Stupid Love, Focus feels more like a love letter to Steven Soderbergh than a film that can stand on its own two feet.” Will Smith has been awesome & will always be awesome!! This is a star turn in an almost literal sense; the man lights up the screen with charisma, humor, and, yeah I’ll say it, sex appeal. It’s great to see Smith having fun again! Margot Robbie, on the other hand, is in superstar mode! She is a sultry goddess who is just going to rise with film she signs on to. She is sexy & fun to watch! On the whole, ‘Focus’ benefits from its sleek and sexy look but fails to deliver a fresh take on the genre. Nevertheless the film is entertaining enough for one time watch, mainly due to the chemistry between our leads.

Director – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Starring – Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro

Rated – R

Run Time  – 104 minutes