Films about con artists are difficult to pull off; when they are good, they are very good, but mess it up by giving the game away too early or throwing in a twist too late and you will put the audience off. That being said, there’s a strong hope that Focus, a new film starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, will manage to strike the proper balance and pull off an effective con.
Smith is the con man and Robbie his protege in Focus. After indulging in a relationship that finally gets too close for comfort, the two split up only to find each other again years later while Smith’s character Nicky is on a job. Is Robbie running her own scheme? Is this all actually a long con that the two have been developing for years? Or is there something else going on?
The latest trailer for Focus does not give the game away, although it does hint at a number of possibilities here. There’s obviously romance in the air, but that can get complicated when the two people involved are in a less than honest profession. The question remains about how long the film can keep the motives of its various characters obscure without either giving things away, or making it all too convoluted to be interesting.
Focus might able to pull things off on the strength of an excellent cast that also includes Rodrigo Santoro. The film is written and directed by the team of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris), which means that the story will probably be light, but could very well be entertaining.
Focus will come to theaters on February 27. Check out the latest trailer above and see what you think its chances are. Will Smith and Robbie pull off the long con?