Focus (2015)

** ½ out of ****

Back when I was in high school, a rap duo named “DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince” had a few hits. Normally I despise rap but I thought these two were alright, mainly because they were a deliberate joke. Most of their songs had to do with parents, horror movies and Mike Tyson instead of guns, drugs and drive-bys, and the front man (“The Fresh Prince” aka Will Smith) had a lot of presence and charisma.

Fast forward a couple of years and Smith was given a TV show. Again surprisingly it was pretty good, and even more surprisingly he was very good in it. The character he played (a street punk type from Philly) wasn't much of a stretch but he was charming and funny, and seemed to have some talent. Even with all that, when he transitioned to film nobody expected what we got – the kid was a flat out talented actor. The first film I ever saw him in (“Six Degrees of Separation” 1993) showed him to be able to stretch himself into a role you where wouldn't have expected him to do so well. The ascent of his Hollywood star was enough even to build an entire movie around (“Jersey Girl” 2004).

In the 20+ years since then Smith has been a very reliable box office star. His movies are successful (sometimes wildly successful) and now and then he shows acting chops that continue to prove his worth as an actor. My personal favorite was “Seven Pounds” (2008), though often his forays into a little deeper material tend to be his least successful efforts.

“Focus” is one of these. Actually a very interesting idea that doesn't quite come off, it still has some tremendous scenes and Smith is excellent in the role of con-man Nicky Spurgeon. Nicky isn't the “big deal” con man we often see in movies – he thinks of guys that go after the big con as suckers, destined eventually to end up in the slammer. Instead, he runs a crew that goes fast and furious for the little grifts, building their criminal success on quantity and skill instead of the value of each individual job.

Nicky takes under his wing Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie) a young con artist with unpolished skills. Together they and Nicky's crew spend Super Bowl week picking pockets and running enough small scams that they end up with over a million dollars in cash. They then disband the crew and Nicky and Jess head off to watch the Super Bowl. The Superbowl sequence is by far the best of the film, as Nicky gets involved in a high-stakes game of chance contest with a supper-rich compulsive gambler. This 10 minutes alone made the movie worth seeing.

Nicky eventually sends Jess away, as he believes he should never get romantically involved with other con artists. Years later they run into each other again, leading to the so-called drama that eventually concludes the movie, but it is all second-rate drama compared to the first half of the film. The Super Bowl scene is the apex of this movie, and it goes downhill from there. It's worth a watch, but loss of steam through the final act left me a bit cold.

Smith proves again that he is a terrific talent, and he carries this film entirely on his back. I'd love to see him in a few more roles that really stretch his abilities, as I think he is well capable of award-winning performances. Films like “Focus” can be enjoyable, but he is capable of so much more. As he approaches 50, I hope he discovers a few roles that really put it on display.