Flash Movie Review: Focus
I became more aware of my wallet’s whereabouts after my aunt yelled an expletive at a man who had his hand in her purse. She had taken the subway to go downtown. When she got off at her stop and was waiting to step onto the escalator to take her up to street level, she felt a tug on her purse that she had slung on her shoulder. Turning to look down at her purse she saw a man who had his hand in it, looking for her wallet. With no time for thinking, she immediately yelled out in her sternest voice, “What the #%&@ do you think you are doing?” The man was so stunned he withdrew his hand and took off down the station to the exit on the opposite side of the platform. Once I heard what happened to her I started becoming more aware of my surroundings. No matter where I went I would periodically check to make sure my wallet was still in my back pocket. Now granted all I had in my wallet was a couple of pictures and my week’s allowance; but the idea that someone would stick their hand in my pocket to steal my wallet made me angry. After seeing this comedic drama I now am more paranoid. WILL Smith (After Earth, I Am Legend) played lifelong con artist Nicky. Admiring the gutsy moves Jess, played by Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, About Time), tried to pull on him; Nicky agreed to teach her some of his tricks. However, just as one of his biggest jobs was about to play out, could Nicky really trust her. This crime story had a variety of twists in it; some were predictable, others were surprises. I will say the story did not seem that much different from others I had seen before. The clear standouts for me were Margot Robbie and Gerald McRaney (The A-Team, Major Dad-TV) as Owens. Also, Adrian Martinez (American Hustle, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) as Farhad and Rodrigo Santoro (The Last Stand, 300 Franchise) as Garriga gave good performances. I understood this was supposed to be Will’s vehicle back to box office gold after his flop After Earth; but I have to tell you I did not think his performance was anything new. He seemed to be playing himself more than his character to tell you the truth. There were a couple of times where I thought the story dragged. To be fair one of my favorite movies was The Sting, so for me this film did not have any sophisticated nuances in the script. The worst part of this is I now have a bigger fear of getting my pockets picked than I had before.
2 1/4 stars
Posted on March 2, 2015, in Dramedy and tagged 2 1/4 stars, comedy, crime, drama, dramedy, gerald mcraney, margot robbie, will smith. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Love Will and I always want him to do well, but I’m just not feeling this movie! The word ‘formulaic’ keeps popping into my head. Your review just seems to confirm my fears. I want to see him stretch a little or a lot for a role… it’s not like he can’t risk it because he needs the money.
You are totally right; he stays in his comfort zone and no longer stretches himself into a new type of character.
I’m of the mind part of it comes simply from wealth and acclaim. There’s little need to stretch anymore. I remain hopeful he’ll surprise us yet!
This didn’t do it for me either. Waste of a rare date night, we’d have been better off at home on the couch watching a couple of episodes of hustle.
What a bummer you wasted a date night on this film. I hope the 2 of you are not discouraged and will be able to have another date night away from home. Thanks for the comments.
It’s sad if Will becomes stereotyped and be kept in that category of actors. He still has room to grow and develop further.
I hope you are right; but I believe he needs new advisors and management. Thank you for stopping by to leave your comments.