'Focus' seems more like a travelogue than a caper film
I鈥檓 a sucker for movies about con men, which means, I suppose, that聽I鈥檓 a sucker, since most of them are subpar. 鈥淔ocus,鈥� starring a somnolent聽Will Smith as a world-class grifter, features beautiful locations and even聽more beautiful people but seems more like a travelogue than a caper film.聽Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who co-wrote and codirected, mistake聽glamorousness for inspiration; whenever the story flags, they pile on the聽Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous stuff.聽
Smith鈥檚 Nicky hooks up early with novice Jess (Margot Robbie),聽who, in a sequence in New Orleans鈥� French Quarter, proves her mettle as a聽first-class grifter. This is the kind of movie where we鈥檙e not supposed to聽know at any time who is playing whom, but since the characterizations聽are glossy and paper-thin, it鈥檚 difficult to get worked up about who gets聽fleeced.聽
Scenery-wise, the best sequences are set in Buenos Aires in the world聽of Formula 1 auto racing. But the best scene comes earlier on, when聽Nicky, in a luxury suite at the Superdome, extends a losing streak wager聽with a billionaire Chinese businessman (a very funny B.D. Wong). Is聽Nicky being played or is he the player? If you think you already know the聽answer to that question, you don鈥檛 really need to see the movie.聽Grade: C+ (Rated聽R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.)
