Preview: "Focus" (2015) – When the con artist falls for the con

"Focus" is a slick, high‑stakes crime‑comedy that turns the world of professional grifting into a sexy, tightly wound game of trust and betrayal. Starring Will Smith as Nicky Spurgeon, a seasoned con artist with a gift for misdirection, and Margot Robbie as Jess Barrett, an ambitious newcomer to the game, the film charts a relationship where every glance, gesture, and whispered promise might be part of the next scam.

The con at the heart of the story

The film opens with Nicky schooling Jess in the fundamentals of the con: how to read a mark, manufacture chance encounters, and exploit human desire. When she proves too good—and too dangerously close to his heart—he cuts her loose, reinforcing the old rule: never let emotions cloud the game. Three years later, Nicky resurfaces in Buenos Aires, embedded in a motorsport‑centred heist involving a prized fuel‑burning algorithm, only for Jess to reappear—now a polished femme fatale attached to a powerful team owner.

Romance as a loaded weapon

"Focus" is as much about chemistry as it is about con artistry. Smith and Robbie spark a charged, playful dynamic that keeps the audience guessing: is their attraction genuine, or just another layer of the game? As Nicky tries to pull off one of his most complex schemes, Jess’s presence destabilises his control, forcing him to improvise in real time while the stakes escalate from millions of dollars to his own survival.

Style, stakes, and psychological chess

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa ("Crazy, Stupid, Love"), 'Focus' leans into visual flair and snappy pacing, using the neon‑lit backdrops of New Orleans, Buenos Aires, and New York as the stage for its psychological chess match. The film’s layered final act—complete with double‑crosses, staged betrayals, and a clever callback to an old “panic button" trick—rewards viewers who pay close attention to every prop, gesture, and throwaway line.

For movie‑goers partial to smart, character‑driven thrillers, 'Focus' offers a polished, stylish ride through the murky ethics of deception, where love and loyalty prove harder to control than any mark.