Business gets in the way of love
The film was shot in the USA and Argentina. It tells about the everyday life of a seasoned swindler who fell in love with an aspiring swindler. Soon the couple discovers that their business is preventing them from building a normal relationship, and then the main adventures of the characters begin.
Some actors of the film “Focus” selflessly approached the filming. Some raced across the ocean to audition, losing their luggage at the airport just to get there on time. This happened to Margot Robbie, who finally got the main role. Later in the interview, she will tell you that perhaps it was this story that helped her get into the film.
Another actor in the film “Focus,” Will Smith, was late for the audition, for which he received a scolding from his future partner.
By the way, the role that Will Smith eventually got was originally intended for Ryan Gosling, but he was unable to take part in the filming. The main female role was intended for Emma Stone, but she also dropped out of the project.
"Scandal"
Scandal is a film inspired by the true story of a group of female Fox News reporters to oust CEO Roger Ailes for harassment.
Margot Robbie is known for her feminist films, and this one is no exception—Robbie plays a young producer at Fox News, and through her character, she portrays the challenges of being a woman in the world of politics.
King of Blockbusters
“Focus” actor Will Smith is a real star. He starred in many Hollywood blockbusters, which brought him worldwide fame and a considerable amount of money.
He was also nominated for an Oscar twice and a Golden Globe four times. As a result, Will Smith received a Grammy, which he was probably very happy about. He is also interested in hip-hop and has three children from two wives. Children are also getting into acting: Will Smith has already starred with them in two films.
The hero has a nose for hot projects. In 2008, Forbes magazine recognized him as the highest paid actor in the world.
Initially, Will Smith did not intend to become an actor, because his passion was rap and hip-hop, which he successfully did with his friend Jeff Towns. Their rap duet even received a Grammy. Later, the talented rapper was invited to the TV project “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” where he played for six years. His role seemed to be copied from himself, he even called himself the Prince.
Later, Smith's acting career began to gradually develop. The man got the leading role in “Bad Boys” (1995), a low-budget action film that did not bring much income. But then came “Independence Day” (1996) and “Men in Black” (1997), thanks to which Will Smith gained popularity around the world. He began to be invited to high-budget projects, two more parts of “Men in Black” and many other films with his participation were released.
At the moment, Smith is a highly paid actor, and his participation in the film guarantees the success of the project.
Focus
Tricks can be different - simple, complex, large-scale with expensive equipment (for example, a woman and a saw) or, conversely, based only on sleight of hand. One of the most unpleasant types of tricks is the lack of focus. That is, they promise it to you, they even create the necessary surroundings, but in the end it turns out that it was not a trick, but a performance by a bearded snake woman. The bearded snake woman is certainly interesting, but where is the promised trick?!
And these arguments, as you understand, are not accidental. The trick of “Focus” is precisely that under the candy wrapper of the promised crime-adventure story a la “Ocean’s Friends” there is hidden a rather banal melodrama.
And for those who continue to celebrate Valentine’s Day, this is, of course, a gift, but for other categories of citizens it is not a very pleasant surprise.
However, the movie starts off quite cheerfully.
There is seasoned swindler Nicky (Will Smith), there is Jess (Margot Robbie), who dreams of becoming a swindler, and Nicky has a team of professionals. Nicky, the team and Jess, who joined them, “make” New Orleans. Mostly pickpocketing - watches, wallets, jewelry, equipment - but this is professional work, put on stream. Very beautiful, artistic, elegant. And all this was filmed no less beautifully.
Then a larger scam follows (we won’t go into details, but this is perhaps the best episode of the film), and Nicky and Jess have an office romance. But Niki is a professional, and if a relationship interferes with work, the relationship should be broken off. Tears mercilessly.
Three years pass and the more painful part of the film begins. They meet again, and against the backdrop of some vague scam, an almost pure-blooded melodrama slowly develops.
This is such a movie.
Among the advantages are good camera work - a beautiful, glossy picture, nice panoramic shots of night cities, good close-ups.
These beauties are complemented by a pleasant soundtrack, and as a result, the prospect of becoming a professional swindler begins to look very tempting.
If we talk about acting, then, of course, Will Smith is in the foreground. And his role in this film certainly cannot be considered one of the worst in his career. Convincing, charismatic, in good shape.
In terms of acting skills, Margot Robbie is somewhat inferior to Smith, but this is more than compensated for by her beauty and sexuality.
Adrian Martinez’s hero, Farhad (Nicky’s friend), looked quite bright compared to other minor characters. By the way, he was responsible for the humor in the film. The humor was absolutely obscene and monotonous - on the topic of intimate relationships, but from the lips of this character, dirty jokes sounded completely natural and natural.
Among the disadvantages, it is necessary to note the rather chaotic editing (up to the periodic loss of the logic of events).
But the overall impression is that it is not the most convincing and poignant melodrama, disguised as a criminal adventure story.
Those who want to admire Will Smith, who is deeply in love, are welcome!
6 points.
Oleg Petrov
1461 views
Young star
Rising star Margot Robbie cannot boast of such a huge filmography as her co-star. She is still very young and does not have much experience. In the film “Focus” (2015), she managed to show herself well; film critics predict a great future for her.
Considering that the actress has already starred in two films this year that have grossed millions of dollars at the box office, the words of critics should be taken literally. The films that made Margot famous are “Suicide Squad” (2016) and “Tarzan. Legend” (2016), as well as the film “Focus” (2015), showed the actress’s skills.
Margot Robbie is from Australia. There she began her acting career by filming television series. It is worth mentioning Margot’s small but striking role in the film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” where she played alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
Now Margot Robbie will certainly have no end to producers and directors who want to invite her to their project.
"Goodbye Christopher Robin"
The Christopher Robin movie Goodbye Christopher Robin was released at the end of 2020, and when you watch the movie, you can see the appeal of the inspiration behind Winnie the Pooh.
Robbie is charming and elegant as Daphne Milne, Christopher's mother. Her British accent is impeccable and the actress perfectly embodies the 1910s fashion style. Simply put, it's impossible not to fall in love with her in this gripping story.
Brazilian contribution
The cast for the film by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa turned out to be international: the actors of the film “Focus” come from all over the world. Most of them are not from the USA.
For example, the performer of one of the central characters in the film “Focus” Rodrigo Santoro arrived from Brazil.
Despite the fact that Rodrigo Santoro has successfully acted in Hollywood films, he lives in Rio de Janeiro and has no plans to move to the United States.
In his youth, Rodrigo wanted to become an actor. To do this, he transferred from the Faculty of Journalism to the film school at the TV channel that produced the series. With these series he began his journey into big cinema.
At first, the man played in Latin American films. For example, he began to be recognized after his prominent role as a marijuana smoker in the film “The Seven-Headed Beast” (2001).
The actor played in several more films in his homeland (one of the films with his participation was nominated for a Golden Globe as “Best Foreign Film”), and then Rodrigo Santoro left for Hollywood. There he played in “Love Actually” (2003), but became famous only after “300.”
Now he is often invited to films, but the actor does not forget about other activities. For example, he is interested in charity work. The man also loves the Doors band and reads Shakespeare.
"Tonya against everyone"
“Tonya against everyone” is one of Margo’s best roles. Playing the infamous '90s figure skater Tonya Harding, Robbie was nominated for an Oscar for the role.
Tonya hasn't had an easy life, and she was the first woman to land a triple Axel in a figure skating competition. Robbie perfectly embodies the inner struggle of the figure skater: despite her tough and sometimes vulgar behavior, Tonya is talented, ambitious and hardworking. Tonya was finally given the chance to tell the truth through Robbie.
International cast
By the way, another actor from the international cast of the film “Focus” is BD Wong. He was born in America, but has Chinese roots. He appears in many films and TV series, and also plays in the theater and has won many awards. He even took part in productions on Broadway.
BD Wong is gay, he is not ashamed of it. The actor openly talks about his sexual preferences and encourages everyone to do so. Actively supports the movement for the rights of sexual minorities. With her boyfriend BD Wong decided to become a father through surrogacy. The couple had twins, but one died, so the actor and his common-law husband are now raising one son.
At the beginning of his career, BD Wong starred in many TV series. He played Ray Mukada in “Oz Prison” (1997-2003), then there was “Law and Order. Special Corps” (1999-2013) and many others.
At the moment, the actor has built a successful career not only in cinema, but also on the theater stage.
How to learn to scam?
The actors of the film “Focus” really gave their all on the set of this interesting and original story about the everyday life of scammers and swindlers. Margot Robbins and Will Smith had to learn pickpocketing from a true master of the craft, trickster Apollo Robbins.
According to film critics, the film was a complete success, which means that the lessons of fraud were quite useful to the leading actors.
Fraud in fashion
The film “Focus” was to the taste of both viewers and film critics. Glenn Ficcara and John Requa created a story that many people loved. Who doesn’t love adventures with a crime plot and elements of comedy?
Everyone is interested in watching how the masters of deception work, especially when performed by such wonderful actors who lead the film. And many of the tricks that pickpockets and swindlers use in the film are the same as in real life. You can protect yourself with what you see in the film.
Enjoy watching!
