Men have upper-body strength, women have batted eyelashes.

In the two decades since Jerry Bruckheimer got his hooks in him with “Bad Boys,” Smith has mostly led with his swagger, whereas here, he dips into the vulnerability that served him well in riskier outings, such as “The Pursuit of Happyness.” With “Focus,” the whole movie hinges on whether we believe he’s met his match: Can one woman possibly break through and tame him? Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. “Focus” cleanly divides into two parts, and both work best the less one knows about who’s playing whom. He is a member of the National Society of Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film … Michael Sragow is a contributing editor to Film Comment and writes its Deep Focus column. Focus opens in a swank New York restaurant where small-time grifter Jess (Robbie) thinks she’s spotted a mark in Nicky (Smith). They do brisk business, gobbling up every bag and briefcase they can find. The earliest artistic criticism of film emerged in the early 1900s.

The hotels and high-end clubs in Focus are extraordinarily furnished, and Smith and Robbie look splendid gallivanting among them.

From the moment Smith’s Nicky Spurgeon first sets eyes on Jess (“The Wolf of Wall Street” stunner Margot Robbie), he never misses a beat as he quickly sizes up her scam. Naturally, Nicky never lets anyone get close.

Hard to get too upset, though.

They are both terrific in this, especially relative newcomer Robbie who shows tremendous comedic range. Your focus would depend on the type of the movie and the elements you want to emphasize.

It’s a little confusing, and gets more so when characters from the past keep showing up. Donate TV More Coming Soon to DVD In Theaters In Theaters More […] Focus, which stars Will Smith as a master con man and Margot Robbie as his new apprentice, spends much of its running time convincing you it is the best entry into the genre in years. Questions to consider when watching a film These questions are from Appendix 1 of Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema (Damaris, 2007).

A taste is all you get in Focus, but it’ll do till the whole enchilada comes along. If the projector broke after the New Orleans job and I stopped watching there, I’d be over the moon about this picture. Check. The film ends with that contemporary movie rarity—an authentic and overwhelming display of gratitude. Read Next: Steven Soderbergh Adds David Harbour, Noah Jupe, Brendan Fraser as Crime Drama ‘No Sudden Move’ Goes Back Into Production, New Movies to Watch This Week: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7,’ ‘Kajillionaire,’ ‘Enola Holmes’, ‘Mangrove’ Review: Steve McQueen’s British Courtroom Drama Does Justice to a Landmark Case Against Black Activists, ‘Night of the Kings’ Review: Visionary Ivory Coast Prison Movie Offers a Figurative Kind of Escape — Through Storytelling, Megan Thee Stallion Responds to Tory Lanez's Denial That He Shot Her, ‘Batwoman’ Star Javicia Leslie Unveils First Look at Batsuit, BTS to Release New Album, ‘BE (Deluxe Edition),’ in November, Takeuchi Yuko Death Remains a Mystery for Japan, ‘The Witcher’ Recasts Eskel Role With Basil Eidenbenz for Season 2, Anita Hill Believes Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Replacement ‘Is a Rush,’ Compares Her Legacy to Thurgood Marshall, Takeuchi Yuko, Japanese Actress, Dies at 40, Roku Unveils Redesigned $100 Ultra Streaming Box, Will Add Ability to Stream HBO Max via Apple AirPlay, Trump's Tax Returns Reveal Struggling Businesses but Big Windfall From ‘The Apprentice’, ‘Monday Night Football’ is More Than a Game for Disney in NFL Rights Scramble, Trump's Tax Returns Reveal Struggling Businesses But Big Windfall From ‘The Apprentice’, Tenet’ Crosses $280 Million Worldwide, Leads Mild U.S. Alas, this is merely a setup, as the film’s second half eventually reveals that it’s all been a facade. (“Hello?!?

Jess fits in nicely with Nicky’s crew as they bop around the French Quarter boosting wallets and watches. Nicky and his crew can steal the tighty off your whities.