Focus (2015)

Directed by: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Country: USA

Movie Review: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“I Love You Philip Morris”, “Crazy Stupid Love”) join efforts once again on writing and direction, and the result was “Focus”, top box-office until early this week, when it was overthrown by the artificial intelligence of “Chappie”. Despite its popularity among the masses, “Focus” lacks artistry on every single front. The film tries to play with the ‘prohibited’ love story between a master con man, Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith) and his seductive apprentice, Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie), as they focus on potential targets. Operating in New Orleans, where they defalcate an inveterate sports gambler named Liyuan (B.D. Wong), the couple inevitably splits up due to professional-ethical reasons, only to see each other again three years later in Buenos Aires. There, they will recommence the relationship and take advantage of the owner of a motor sports team who hires Nicky to corrupt a decisive race. Stiff, unimaginative, and devoid of thrills or fun, this silly creation does everything to trick us with its clichés, but the best it can do is bore us to death. The film’s sluggish narrative never attained an acceptable flow, and the script shows practically no twists to justify its viewing. Everything was set with a miserable sense of objectivity, deficient intensity put on the scenes, and mediocre performances, particularly by Will Smith whose character not only for once generated any sort of empathy. This poor piece of screenwriting by Ficarra and Requa (I even liked their “Bad Santa”!), feels amateurish and uneventful, making “Focus” totally out of focus. With one of the dullest of the year, are you willing to be conned?