Focus

Focus

Someone wanted me to watch and review this movie, so let's get started.

Will Smith plays a conman that ends up falling in love with a new conwoman. We get to see the inside to his methods via the newer conwoman. For about 40 minutes, it is a very good movie. However, it just completely falls apart in the second half. With some good acting, the movie is a little better than it should be.

The movie is separated into two sections with only a few things connected between the two. And, the first half of the movie is the better part of the movie. It is a real shame the second half just falls flat. The first half introduces Will Smith's character and his con game. It seems to work well with the story, acting and editing. The movie truly feels like a con movie where we see all the various cons and it is very fun to watch. I had a smile on my face when I watched them explaining all the cons.

The story is very good at that point. Plus, we get to see Will Smith's operation through the eyes of a newcomer. And, the payoff to the first half is very clever, if slightly unbelievable. But it is a nice way to payoff all the setups to earlier in the film.

Then the movie takes a huge dive in quality when “Three Years Later” flashes on screen. The second half feels like a completely different movie. It takes a serious turn and doesn't seem fun at all. This drop in quality story happens in Buenos Aires and we get a whole new set of characters.

However, the performances are pretty good overall.

Will Smith is very good as this flawed character. He plays a pretty good conman and he has a darker edge to him that comes out during the last portion of the first half. He does it extremely well overall. Smith's character gets weaker in the second half and seems to lose his interesting traits.

Margot Robbie, the up in coming con-woman, is very good too. She plays off of Smith because she shares most of the scenes with him. I also like the movie doesn't shy away from the interracial relationship either. I am sure some people had a problem with this. Robbie's characters also becomes uninteresting in the second half too. She becomes more of a side character that only messes up Smith's game more than being the “focus” of the story.

Gerald McRaney as a villain of sorts is always good in his roles. He's become a total a-hole in movies and TV shows since Deadwood. He's great as the bad guy in House of Cards too. Here he's playing someone similar and it works. Who knew Major Dad was such a badass.

The twist upon twist in the first half, while silly, is still entertaining. However, the movie's bigger twist becomes a bit stale for its second half. Will Smith and Robbie are great together and are really good in the first portion of the movie. With great acting and a okay story, you won't be bored with Focus. Yet, it loses “focus” in the second half.

Grade: C

After watching Wild Wild West all day, this is what Will Smith looks like.