‘Focus’ cons its way into being a tolerable movie

Will Smith was once one of the top leading men in Hollywood. Smith could open a movie over 4th of July weekend and obliterate the competition with ease but then After Earth took place. After Earth was a enormous disappoint at the box office and with fans; it was such a disaster that Smith stepped away from the spotlight.

Now, the Oscar nominated actor is returning with his brand new film, Focus, and, with a new career path in place, Smith will be starring in the upcoming D.C. property Suicide Squad. Focus features Smith, along with Margot Robbie and Rodrigo Santoro co-starring.

Smith plays Nicky, an incredibly famous con man that focuses on doing business in large volume; he never gets caught and has become a master con artist. Business has been good for Nicky until he meets Jess, played by Robbie, and that relationship dynamic creates the main plot of the film. The plot itself has many twists and turns and will keep the audience guessing up until the very end but the game wears thin as the movie comes to a close.

Image courtesy of INFphoto.com

Focus attempts to combine humor, action and a fast paced plot line into a fun heist film but the formula is off. At times, the movie takes itself too seriously and at times it abandons the heart of the film, which is that it's supposed to be a fun and simple heist movie, not an intellectual thriller.

The connection and chemistry between Robbie and Smith does work but at times it feels forced. The relationship could have been developed in a more organic way, through character development and natural dialogue. Instead, the main characters are never fully developed and the lack of complexity makes it feel like a B level action movie. If Focus didn’t feature Robbie and Smith, it would be a direct to cable production.

Despite its lack of character development and plot holes, Smith proves that he is still a leading man and is fully capable of commanding the screen but Focus falls short with its many attempts to trick the audience. In the end, it feels like the audience is getting tricked into believing this movie is more intelligent than it is.

This is a return to Smith’s more serious roles and it feels like a film he would have made before After Earth, but this is a slow kick-start to a much needed rebooting of Smith’s career. He needs to return to the big blockbuster action films and command his place at the top of the box office again.

Focus never gives up the con of trying to be an entertaining heist film and, in fact, dies with that lie.

Watch the trailer for Focus here:

Image courtesy of INFphoto.com