There
is
something
inherently
disagreeable
about
a
film
that
extols
the
dubious
life
of
two
con-persons
as
exemplary.
Will
Smith
and
Margot
Robbie
are
just
two
charlatans
pretending
that
their
underhand
antics
make
a
difference
to
the
way
we
perceive
materialism
and
covetousness
in
the
present
day
context.
"Focus" features
the
charismatic
Smith
swaggering
down
the
crooked
and
narrow
path
with
Ms
Robbie
who
true
to
her
name,
pilfers
credit
cards
and
wallets
with
the
celerity
of
a
violin
player
negotiating
those
strings
to
produce
a
sublime
sound.
The
music
produced
by
the
noisy
turpitude
of
the
chic
twosome
is
a
one-note
jingle
hard
selling
potato
wafers
to
a
town
of
indolent
slobs.
The
film
assumes
a
sense
of
intellectual
superiority
over
the
truly
vapid
actions
of
its
two
main
characters.
It's
like
trying
to
play
a
soprano
at
a
noisy
club
of
revellers
who
aren't
really
listening.
The
drinks
are
on
the
house.
But
the
food
is
heavily
billed.
The
only
reason
audiences
would
want
to
watch
this
film
is
to
see
the
chemistry
between
the
lead
pair.
Will
Smith
and
his
cute
Australian
co-star
don't
disappoint.
Whenever
they
converse,
their
sub-text
suggests
sex.
Sadly
there
is
very
little
of
it
on
screen.
Sex,
we
mean.
And
don't
blame
our
much
vilified
censor
board.
Whenever
the
pair
falls
to
the
horizontal
position
the
co-directors
seem
to
be
in
a
hurry
to
push
them
on
to
the
next
elaborate
con
job.
One
would
have
liked
to
see
the
warmth
between
the
charismatic
pair
onscreen
rather
than
just
hearing
about
it.
Given
the
paucity
of
truly
revealing
moments
between
Smith
and
Robbie
their
teary-eyed
parting
scene
mid-way
through
the
brusque
storytelling
seems
like
a
bit
of
con
job
as
well.
But
nothing
to
equal
the
scam
pulled
on
the
unsuspecting
audience
who
are
made
to
sit
through
one
picturesque
location
after
another,
looking
for
a
tonal
compatibility
between
the
characters
and
their
behaviour.
In
excruciating
detail
the
script
chronicles
their
exploits,
none
of
them
ingenious
or
even
interesting.
This
is
the
kind
of
film
that
references
its
own
cleverness
to
the
point
that
the
audience
is
taken
in
as
outsiders
in
an
intricate
game
whose
rules
are
known
only
to
the
characters
playing
the
game.
They
can
keep
the
con
game
to
themselves,
for
all
I
care.
"Focus" is
a
dreadful
waste
of
time
and
talent.
Smith's
charisma
can
only
take
the
proceedings
this
far
and
no
further.
How
far
can
you
stretch
a
story
of
a
teacher
and
his
sexy
pupil
mastering
the
art
of
hoodwinking
people?
After
a
point
it
just
seems
pointless.