Reviewed Review by Chris Eberle

Focus - Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

One night in New York con artist Nicky Spurgeon meets Jess Barrett, an up-and-coming young thief who wants to join his crime organization. Nicky reluctantly takes her on and she quickly becomes one of the most productive members of the group. As they become too close for comfort, Nicky abruptly breaks off their relationship and they go their separate ways.

Three years later, Nicky is running a massive con in the high-stakes auto racing circuit in Buenos Aires. He is attempting to infiltrate a team and steal their valuable fuel formula so he can sell it to others. Just as the con begins to take shape, Jess appears unexpectedly as the girlfriend of a team owner. Nicky struggles to stay in the game and not lose himself to his love for her. By the end, the web of misdirection has extended in multiple directions and it’s not clear who is conning who.

Specifications

  • Warner Brothers
  • 2015, Color, Rated R, 1 Hr 45 mins
  • 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro
  • Directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

Rating

  • Entertainment:
  • Video:
  • Audio:
  • Extras:
  • Violence: Yes
  • Sex: Yes
  • Language: Yes

Commentary

Focus is a very entertaining crime-caper film with plenty of dry humor, excellent chemistry between the two main characters and decent plot. Stories like this have to walk a fine line between keeping the viewer informed and surprised at the same time; and the film doesn’t always succeed on that count. There are moments when it’s not clear what’s going on. But most of time, the plot twists are unexpected. Overall the writers did a good job.

My favorite aspect is the chemistry between Will Smith and Margot Robbie. Most of their scenes are played in an off-the-cuff improv style that goes a long way to making you forget there’s a script. Even though that script has a few flaws, the two principle actors really make something truly entertaining and engaging out of it. I also have to mention show-stealer and hilarious sidekick Adrian Martinez. His portrayal of Nicky’s assistant Farhad is priceless. You may remember him as the lab assistant from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

While this isn’t the best crime-caper film I’ve seen, it’s better than most. I’ll be adding it to my library.

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Technical

Shot entirely in the digital domain by Arri Alexa XT cameras, the image is flawless in every way. Clarity is at the reference level with consistently deep contrast and nicely saturated color. Some indoor scenes take on a green or blue tint depending on the lighting but the picture is never flattened as a result.

The 7.1 audio track is loaded with ambient effects that make full use of the surround channels. Street scenes are especially immersive with background sounds that happen all around the viewer. Dialog is crisp and clear in the center channel with no sibilance or chestiness. Music is played across a wide front soundstage and always sounds great.

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Extras

Bonus features include a 10-minute documentary about con/pickpocket consultant Apollo Robbins and his special techniques. You also get character featurettes on Nicky (Will Smith) and Jess (Margot Robbie). An alternate opening and deleted scenes round out the extras.

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