Summary
Nicky, an accomplished con artist, gets romantically involved with his disciple Jess but later ends their relationship. Years later, she returns as a femme fatale to spoil his plans.
Cast
Will Smith
Nicky Spurgeon
Margot Robbie
Jess Barrett
Rodrigo Santoro
Garriga
Gerald McRaney
Owens
Adrian Martinez
Farhad
Robert Taylor
McEwen
BD Wong
Liyuan
Brennan Brown
Horst
Dominic Fumusa
Jared
Dotan Bonen
Gordon
Griff Furst
Gareth
Stephanie Honoré
Janice
David Stanford
Drunken Stranger
Steve Kim
Liyuan's Bodyguard
Don Yesso
Card Player / Football Coach
Juan Minujín
Marcello
Jano Seitun
Bartender
Melania Lenoir
Pretty Woman
Pietro Gian
Massive Security Guard
Justina Bustos
Blonde Bartender
Paula Brasca
Saleswoman
Antonella Macchi
Apollonia
Aaron Jay Rome
Bartender
Armando Leduc
Bald Guy
Jon Eyez
Bruiser
Clay Chamberlin
Mark #1
Danny Ladmirault
Mark #2
Chip Carriere
Lead Official
Daniella Short
Naked Woman
Frank J. Monteleone
Tech
Alan Sabbagh
Team Argentina Head Engineer
Hervé Segata
France Team Engineer
Jorge Takashima
Team Korea Engineer
Pierre Marquille
HRT Team Owner
Nas Mehdi
Head of Team India
Federico Bongiorno
Head of Team Russia
Kate Adair
Tourist Thief
Billy Slaughter
Passing Thief
Lindsay Clift
Another Thief
Thomas Francis Murphy
Hustler
Nicoye Banks
Card Shark
Ruy Gatti
French Tech
Cacilie Hughes
Jenny
Alvin Chon
Liyuan's Bodyguard #2
Brett Baker
Another Thief
Taylor Persh
Sous Chef
Mariano Bertolini
Waiter
Scott M. Jefferson
Add'l McEwen Tech
Billy Louviere
Rowdy Guy #1
Thomas Thomason
Rowdy Guy #2
Antonella Saldicco
Party Guest #1
Joaquín Berthold
Party Guest #2
Marina Artigas
Party Guest #3
Dario Dukah
Party Guest #4
Martin Covert
Doctor
Apollo Robbins
Apollo
Michael Dardant
Card Mechanic #1
Victor Moran
Card Mechanic #2
Eric McMullen
Doc
Han Soto
Head of Team Japan
Yeshi Tenzin
Head of Team Japan #2
Laney Chouest
Head of Team
Darrell Foster
Head of Team Italy
Hilary Tuttle
Waitress Thieff
Guillermo Miguel
Team Argentina
Nina Leon
BA Reporter
Nick Reasons
Sideline Reporter
Chris Dieker
Coin Toss Rhino
Stevie Baggs Jr.
Coin Toss Thresher
Thomas Holley
Announcer #1
Walter Prestenberg, Jr.
Announcer #2
Nic Harris
Interview Thresher
Patrick O'Hara
Team Owner
David Haines
Nicky's Crew Tommy
Steve Hammond
Cafe Host Mark
Derrick Townsend
Frat Guy #1
Juan Gaspard
Fan in Stands (uncredited)
Joe Chrest
Jeweler (uncredited)
Sheena Sakai
Skybox Model (uncredited)
Crew
Director, Writer
Glenn Ficarra
Director, Writer
John Requa
Reviews
Wong Kentir
March 1, 2015
"Focus" blends two different movies in roughly equal measure. One is a movie about con men, scam artists and hustlers, in the tradition of "The Sting," "Ocean's Eleven," "House of Games" and "Shade." The second movie is a romantic comedy between two people who are strongly attracted to one another, but who cannot and do not trust each other.
The movie about con men is brilliant. The hustles and scams are clever and cleverly executed with excellent skill and tradecraft. Dramatically, the double-blinds and double- crosses are well executed. The players con their marks, one another and the audience with finesse and aplomb. The cinematography, choreography and editing are crisp. The reveals are plausible within the film's cosmos of reality.
The romantic comedy is not bad. One can understand and believe the attraction between the two characters. Will Smith's character is hunky, clever, confident, successful and wealthy. Margot Robbie's character is gorgeous, sexy, vulnerable, clever and charming. But the major plot points in this boy finds girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back subplot seem contrived, while the intriguing aspect of their relationship (How can two con artists with a history of deceiving one another learn to trust one another?) isn't explored in a satisfactory manner. Instead we get a breakup for reasons that are never explained, a repeated gag involving a wallet, and a massive coincidence that leads the audience to believe one of them has a hidden agenda involving the other. The relationship between them works best when they are conning one another, but it needs resolution.
Technically, the film is beautifully done. Cinematography, locations, wardrobe, make-up, editing, audio -- everything is polished. It's a movie that merits a second or third viewing, not only to see the cons played out, but also to appreciate some of the subtle foreshadowing.
