Focus—Movie Review

by Peter J. O'Connell

Focus. Released: Feb. 27, 2015. Runtime: 105 mins. Rated: R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.

“Caper movies” focus, to varying degrees, on the planning (often elaborate), execution (often audacious), and aftermath (often ironic) of a theft, confidence game or abduction but add prominent elements of humor and/or romance to the story. Classic examples from the “golden age” of caper movies, the 1960s and early '70s, include Topkapi (1964), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968, remade 1999), The Italian Job  (1969, remade 2003) and The Sting (1973). 

Focus, directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, now joins the ranks of caper films, though not at the classic level. The movie, however, is quite enjoyable in its plot, casting and settings. In it Will Smith is Nicky, a con man who presides like a modern-day Fagin over a gaggle of grifters. The movie begins in New York when Nicky encounters Jess, a novice con gal, played by Margot Robbie. Robbie is the blonde bombshell who attracted so much attention in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street. Nicky teaches her the tricks of his trade, and they become lovers.

The story then shifts to New Orleans, where Nicky runs a very clever scam on a somewhat manic multimillionaire, amusingly played by B.D. Wong (for many years the superserious police psychologist on TV's Law and Order: Special Victims Unit). After the scam, however, various changes are rung on the relationship between Nicky and Jess.

Time passes, and both Nicky and Jess show up in Buenos Aires, where Nicky plans to run a scam  involving owners of sports car racing teams. One of the owners (Rodrigo Santoro), however, has a strongarm associate, who rings some changes on Nicky and Jess. The tough guy is played by Gerald McRaney, who, in both appearance and manner, seems to be channeling the character played by Jonathan Banks for several years in the TV series Breaking Bad and now the series Better Get Saul.

To repeat, Focus is not a classic, but it is fun!

“Footnotes” to the film: (1) “Heist films” also focus on the planning, execution and aftermath of a theft but usually lack prominent elements of humor and romance. They often are grimly naturalistic, as in such film noir classics as John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Jules Dassin's Rififi (1955) and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956). (2) Nine Queens (2000) is an Argentinian caper film, set in Buenos Aires, that attracted international attention. (3) Caper aficionados will get a treat if they stay for the closing credits of Focus. While those credits roll, they will hear “The Windmills of Your Mind,” the theme song of the 1969 version of The Thomas Crown Affair.