Focus
Director: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Year Released: 2015
Rating: 2.0
Accomplished grifter Nicky (Will Smith) has a chance encounter with novice con woman Jess (Margot Robbie) - after she fails to fool him with a 'routine' of hers, she becomes an accomplice/student of his. I'm a sucker for movies about the psychology of deception so the plot of this kept me intrigued: yes, it's a far cry from Mamet and it more or less crumbles (or at least strongly challenges credibility) upon reflection but it's entertaining enough to keep sprinting forward (to New Orleans and then Buenos Aires) through its array of god-awful humor (one character, played by Adrian Martinez, is there mainly for the fat jokes and to make obscene remarks/gestures) and embellished performances (hey there, "Major Dad"). Realistic or not, the betting scene with BD Wong's character (at the Super Bowl) is tense filmmaking (just don't think about it for too long).
