Attention! | Focus Review

Thanks to Cineworld Unlimited, I got to see Focus a week before it hit the big screens across the UK. With Will Smith in the main role, Margot Robbie as his wingwoman, and a plot unlike anything we've seen before, expectations were high. And the result? Well, it turns out that to understand Focus, you don't have to follow the instructions on the tin.

First things first, the premise of the film - hustlers hustling - is enough to draw a viewer in without further ado. Much like the TV Series The Hustle and the ever-growing list of films about card-counting, there's something thrilling about watching people get tricked. Within the first half hour, we see Margot Robbie glide around a carnival and lift thousands of dollars worth of belongings right from under the noses of her marks. Part of the fun is how effortless she makes it look. No premeditation, no planning, but flawless execution. And it helps that she looks stunning the entire time too. 
Will Smith reaches a hand out to the ladies in the audience as the husky boss of the team of conmen, with a background worthy of The Godfather and a screen presence not to be forgotten. Decked out in the most perfectly tailored suits, sauve sunglasses and that trimmed-to-a-tee beard, he's the perfect lead for a picture about the high-end hustle.

Put this pair together, and magic happens. Never mind that Smith is twice Robbie's senior, the pair have an undeniable on-screen chemistry. They're both unbelievably cool, laid back and talented. Whereas Robbie has only just made her debut on the silver screen thanks to The Wolf of Wall Street, which put her in line at the Oscars last year, Will Smith has had a life long (and I mean long) career as an actor. You might say they're the Yin and Yang of screen exposure. In a film whose characters require absolute synchronisation, the two are in perfect harmony, a match made in heaven. 
With the help of Apollo Robbins, a real-life, self-proclaimed "gentleman thief", we see hundreds of so called "slight-of-hand" sequences. Essentially, it's a modern day, adult version of Oliver Twist... with rich people. Aside from the impressively slick pick-pocketing scenes, the majority of the film was shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and so has a beautiful everlasting-summer atmosphere (apparently a thief only steals in the summer). But is that all the film has to offer?
David Palmer picked up on this, saying that "two likable leads and some colorful locations do not make a great movie, but they certainly help to elevate an otherwise average one". He's not wrong. After the recent trend set out by Scorsese in Shutter Island and Nolan in Inception, we are seeing more and more films end with a completely mind-boggling twist, one that throws audience into debate once they leave the screen; the sort that is discussed on endless online forums. It seems like Focus makes a similar attempt. Obviously, they don't attempt the "unanswerable twist", but their twist - once explained - could be understood by any layman. There's no need to rewatch, no need to discuss. Is the film thrilling? Yes. Is it beautiful? Yes. Is it challenging? Not nearly.