While I am generally not a big fan of movies in which nothing is as it seems and nobody is who they seem to be, I do appreciate filmmaking that genuinely fools me with strong plotting, characterization and intelligence.  Focus is one of those movies.

It’s all about con artists and pickpockets, people for whom I have no compassion at all, and yet the film is so well made that it coerces one to root for them, at least while they are going after big targets.  Its key relationship is established between a veteran con man (Will Smith) and the beautiful, young pickpocket (Margot Robbie) who catches his fancy.  Their relationship is a rocky one, filled with trust and identity issues, not to mention rivalry.  Can they ever trust one another enough to truly reveal themselves?

The film, written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, is a quick study of crime, and ought to dissuade anyone from attending a big public event.  Its view of small time crime as big business is eye opening, and sometimes thrilling.  Yet it works best when we believe one thing is going to happen, but the script takes us in a different direction.  Two scenes like this stand out, and they depend on the acting of the leads to properly carry it off.  Smith and Robbie are up to the challenge.  Robbie is still hot as a firecracker, as she was in The Wolf of Wall Street, but the emphasis here is on her character’s intelligence and wits.  She’s a keeper.

Focus surprised me with its quality and its ability to fool me even when I was expecting twists and turns.  It’s a solid little crime movie with a caper sensibility, diverting enough to keep most anybody’s attention.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  22 March 2015.