''Focus'' is a 2015 American
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
film written and directed by
Glenn Ficarra
Glenn Ficarra (born May 27, 1969) is an American filmmaker and actor. He frequently collaborated with John Requa.
Life and career
Ficarra met John Requa at Pratt Institute, where both were studying film. After college they went to work in anima ...
and
John Requa
John Requa (born January 1, 1967) is an American screenwriter (with Glenn Ficarra) of ''Cats & Dogs'', ''Bad Santa'' and the 2005 remake ''Bad News Bears''.
The DVD commentary for ''Bad News Bears'' revealed that Requa was to have had a bit role ...
, starring
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
and
Margot Robbie
Margot Elise Robbie (; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in both blockbuster and independent films, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Golden Glob ...
. The plot follows a career con artist who takes an aspiring
femme fatale
A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...
under his wing.
The film was released on February 27, 2015. It received mixed reviews from critics but was a success at the box office, grossing $158 million against its $50 million budget.
Plot
Seasoned
con-man
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have de ...
Nicky Spurgeon (
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
) meets an inexperienced
grifter
A grifter may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Grifters (band), a 1990s American indie rock band
* ''The Grifters'' (novel), a 1963 American novel by Jim Thompson
* ''The Grifters'' (film), a 1990 American adaptation of the novel
* Grifter (ch ...
, Jess Barrett (
Margot Robbie
Margot Elise Robbie (; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in both blockbuster and independent films, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Golden Glob ...
), who tries to seduce and con him, pretending they've been caught by her jealous husband. When they fail, Nicky advises them never to lose focus when faced with unexpected situations. Nicky follows Jess and convinces her to have drinks, he tells her how his father shot his grandfather in a stand-off, explaining the "Toledo Panic Button" tactic, in which you shoot your partner to show your loyalty.
Jess follows him to
, successfully persuading Nicky to take her under his wing, where she is also introduced to Nicky's crew, including the obese and profane Farhad (
Adrian Martinez) and fellow con-man Horst (
Brennan Brown
Brennan Brown (born November 23, 1968) is an American film, television, and stage actor. He currently plays Dr. Samuel Abrams on NBC's ''Chicago Med''. He played Robert Childan on Amazon's '' Man in the High Castle''.
Career
He received his M ...
). Picking a few pockets as a test, Nicky and Jess develop a romantic relationship, upsetting Nicky, who was taught by his father to never become emotionally involved with any colleagues. At a fictional
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1982 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1982 Washington Redskins season, Washington Reds ...
, Nicky gets into a round of increasingly extravagant bets with gambler Liyuan Tse (
B.D. Wong
Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960) is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in ''M. Butterfly'', becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critic ...
), eventually losing all of the money the crew has earned.
To win it back, Nicky asks Tse to pick any player on or off the field and says that Jess will guess the number picked. A distraught Jess scans the field and sees Farhad wearing jersey number 55, and realizes it is another con. They take Tse for millions of dollars. Nicky explains to Jess how Tse had been programmed to pick 55 since he arrived, with subtle, subconscious prompts throughout his day. This victory leaves Tse impressed and even graciously gives all the money back to Nicky. Nicky then leaves Jess with her cut, and instructs the driver to take her to the airport. Jess cries as her limo drives off, as Nicky climbs into another waiting car.
Three years later, Nicky goes to
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, working for billionaire motorsport team owner Rafael Garriga (
Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (; born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor. He is most known for his portrayal of Persian King Xerxes in the movie '' 300'' (2006) and its sequel '' 300: Rise of an Empire'' (2014). Other famous movies include ...
). Garriga wants to beat a team headed by Australian businessman McEwen (
Robert Taylor) to win the championship. Nicky will pretend to be a disgruntled technician on Garriga's team willing to sell Garriga's custom fuel use algorithm EXR. Instead, he will sell McEwen a bogus version which will slow their car down during the race. At a pre-race party, Nicky runs into Jess, who is now Garriga's girlfriend. After faking heavy drinking upon seeing Jess, Nicky has a convincing fight with Garriga in public and after being thrown out, is recruited by McEwen to provide the component.
Nicky begins pursuing Jess again, and they eventually rekindle their relationship. The head of Garriga's security entourage, Owens (
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows ''Simon & Simon'', '' Major Dad'', ''Promised Land'' and ''House of Cards''. He currently stars ...
), is suspicious and narrowly misses catching the two together. Nicky not only delivers the real component to McEwen for three million
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
s but also sells it to the other teams for similar amounts.
Nicky and Jess attempt to return to the US together. However, they are caught by Garriga's men and taken to his garage. Jess is tied up and her mouth is taped shut whilst Nicky is given a beating. Garriga is convinced that Jess had something to do with Nicky gaining access to EXR and begins to suffocate the gagged Jess. To save her, Nicky explains that he gained access to EXR by tricking her into believing he still had feelings for her and that the necklace he had given her was equipped to secretly record Garriga's password and login information. He explains that Jess was conned and knew nothing about this. However, Jess then reveals that she was only trying to seduce Garriga in order to steal
his valuable watch and to make Nicky jealous.
Nicky promises to come clean in order to spare Jess's life, but Owens shoots him in the chest, causing a horrified Garriga to leave. Owens then reveals himself to be Nicky's father, Bucky, and assures Jess that he avoided any major arteries. He simply employed the "Toledo Panic Button". Bucky then tapes up Nicky's wounds and draws excess blood out of his son's chest with a plunger so that he can breathe. They flee the garage in Garriga's vehicle.
Bucky drives Nicky and Jess to the hospital to treat Nicky's punctured lung. Before he drops them off, he reveals to Nicky the real reason why he left him on the streets: during a poker deal in Boston, he got a gun pulled on him, and all he could think about then was Nicky. He says he then walked away and never looked back. After emphasizing that love will get one killed in the game, Bucky departs with all the money as a reminder of the consequences of losing focus. After he leaves, Nicky notices that Jess snatched Garriga's $200,000 watch before he left the warehouse, and a smiling Nicky and Jess walk towards the hospital entrance together.
Cast
*
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
as Nicky Spurgeon
*
Margot Robbie
Margot Elise Robbie (; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in both blockbuster and independent films, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Golden Glob ...
as Jess Barrett
*
Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (; born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor. He is most known for his portrayal of Persian King Xerxes in the movie '' 300'' (2006) and its sequel '' 300: Rise of an Empire'' (2014). Other famous movies include ...
as Rafael Garriga
*
Gerald McRaney
Gerald Lee McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows ''Simon & Simon'', '' Major Dad'', ''Promised Land'' and ''House of Cards''. He currently stars ...
as Bucky Spurgeon / Owens
*
Adrian Martinez as Farhad
*
B. D. Wong
Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960) is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in ''M. Butterfly'', becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Crit ...
as Liyuan Tse
*
Robert Taylor as McEwen
*
Dominic Fumusa
Dominic Fumusa (; born September 13, 1969) is an American stage and screen actor known for starring in the Showtime comedy-drama series ''Nurse Jackie''.
Early life
Fumusa was born and raised in Dane County, Wisconsin to a large family as one ...
as Jared Mukulski
*
Brennan Brown
Brennan Brown (born November 23, 1968) is an American film, television, and stage actor. He currently plays Dr. Samuel Abrams on NBC's ''Chicago Med''. He played Robert Childan on Amazon's '' Man in the High Castle''.
Career
He received his M ...
as Horst
*
Griff Furst
Griff Furst is an American actor and film director.
Furst has appeared in over a hundred television and film productions. He has produced such films as ''You Might Be The Killer'', ''Welcome to Sudden Death'', and ''Tales From the Hood''. He di ...
as Gareth
*
Juan Minujin as Barman
*
Stephanie Honoré
Stephanie Anna Honoré Sanchez (born May 11, 1984) known professionally as Stephanie Honoré, is an American actress. She is best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films ''The Final Destination'', '' Mirrors 2'', and '' Now You ...
as Janice
Production
Apollo Robbins
Apollo Robbins (born May 23, 1974) is an American sleight-of-hand artist, security consultant, self-described gentleman thief and deception specialist. ''Forbes'' has called him "an artful manipulator of awareness".
Early life
Robbins was bor ...
served as a consultant, conceiving and choreographing original sleight-of-hand maneuvers. Directors Ficarra and Requa stated, "Apollo is the foremost expert in his field and is an inspiration to us."
The directing duo and production designer Beth Mickle made a scouting trip to
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
in June and a second trip with producers
Denise Di Novi
Denise Di Novi (born March 21, 1956) is an American film producer and director.
Early life
The daughter of jazz musician Gene DiNovi, when Di Novi was three years old her family moved to Los Angeles from New York, where her father made music fo ...
and Mark Scoon, in which they finally settled to shoot in the neighborhoods of
San Telmo
San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antiqu ...
,
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land ...
,
Barracas,
Retiro,
Recoleta and
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
, as well as
Ezeiza Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini) , also known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location in the Ezeiza Partido in Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport s ...
and a few hotels.
Neil Smith spoke at the Digital Cinema Society forum dropping several hints as to the identity of a film being edited in
Final Cut Pro X
Final Cut Pro is a series of non-linear editing, non-linear video editing software programs first developed by Macromedia, Macromedia Inc. and later Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro 10.6.4, runs on Macintosh, Mac computers power ...
in a December 2013 presentation. This would make ''Focus'' the largest production yet completed in Apple's editing program.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on September 14, 2013, in
, and moved over to
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
on November 19, 2013, for three weeks. The last day of shooting in Argentina was on December 10. Filming wrapped in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on December 17, 2013.
Release
Theatrical release
The film was released in 2015 in the US and Germany.
On January 29, 2015, Warner Bros. and
IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is a Canadian theatre company which designs and manufactures IMAX cameras and projection systems as well as performing film development, production, post-production and distribution to IMAX-affiliated theatres worldwide. Founded ...
announced that they would digitally re-master the film into the immersive
IMAX DMR format, also for release on the same date.
Home media
''Focus'' was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
/DVD combo pack on June 2, 2015.
Reception
Box office
''Focus'' grossed $53.9 million in North America and $104.9 million in other territories for a total gross of $158.8 million, against a production budget of $50.1 million.
The film grossed $6.4 million in its opening day, $7.6 million on its second day and $4.6 million on its third day, totaling $18.7 million in its opening weekend, while playing in 3,323 theaters (a $5,623 per-theatre average), finishing first place at the box office. The film was also released in the theatres of 39 markets of other territories in same weekend of its North America release, and grossed an estimated $12.2 million. Its biggest territories were the United Kingdom ($13 million), Russia ($3.1 million) and Netherlands ($1,765,832).
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has a rating of 56%, based on 228 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. The site's consensus reads, "''Focus'' may have a few too many twists and turns, but it nearly skates by on its glamorous setting and the charm of its stars." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a
weighted average
The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
score of 56 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film a grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' called it "sheer, escapist entertainment from start to finish." ''
The Free Press Journal
''The Free Press Journal'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper that was established in 1928 by Swaminathan Sadanand, who also acted as its first editor. First produced to complement a news agency, the Free Press of India, it was a su ...
'' called the film "smart, slick, but shallow". Nick De Semlyen of ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' wrote: "This is maximum-gloss entertainment with its fair share of tricksy rug-pulls. But, like one of the neon-coloured cocktails Smith drinks in it, it’s more of an immediate rush than something you’ll remember in a year."
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album was released on February 24, 2015, by
WaterTower Music
WaterTower Music (formerly New Line Records from 2000 to 2010) is an American record label serving as the in-house music label and run by entertainment company Warner Bros., ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The name and logo are based o ...
.
# "I'm a Manchild" – Uptown Funk Empire
# "Sofa Rockers (
Richard Dorfmeister
Kruder & Dorfmeister, named after members Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, is an Austrian duo, known for their trip hop/downtempo remixes of pop, hip hop and drum and bass songs.
Career
In 1993, they released their first EP '' G-Stoned ...
Remix)" –
Sofa Surfers
# "Please!" –
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American folk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group is led by singer Alex Ebert. The band's name is based on a story Ebert wrote in his youth, about a messianic figure named E ...
# "Wind It Up" –
Stooges Brass Band
The Stooges Brass Band is a New Orleans, Louisiana, brass band. The group was formed in 1996 after band leader Walter Ramsey saw a performance by the Rebirth Brass Band. The Stooges Brass Band is known for incorporating elements of hip hop, fu ...
# "You Don't Have to Worry" – Doris & Kelley
# "
Meet Me in the City" –
Junior Kimbrough
David "Junior" Kimbrough (July 28, 1930 – January 17, 1998) was an American blues musician. His best-known works are "Keep Your Hands off Her" and "All Night Long".
Early life
Kimbrough was born in Hudsonville, Mississippi, and lived in the no ...
# "
Sympathy for the Devil
"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership.
It is consi ...
" -
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
# "Gimme Danger" –
The Stooges
The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...
# "Chorra" – Los Mareados
# "La Espada de Cadorna" – Mauro Alberelli, Fernando Diego, Barreyro, Maria Carla Flores, Fermin Echeveste, Manuel Gonzalez Aguilar, Mateo Gonzalez Aguilar and Carlos Maximiliano Russo
# "Gerli Hood" – Ivan Diaz Mathe, Jorge Estenbenet, Sebastian Martinez, Francisco Olivero, Daniel Michel, Juan Manuel Meyer and Gala Iglesias Brickles featuring Camilo Costaldi Lira and Alberto Manuel Rodriguez
# "Corazon de Piedra (Te Amo)" – Alenjandro Medina
# "
White Bird" –
It's a Beautiful Day
It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards.
David LaFlamme, who as a youth had once p ...
# "Love Makes the World Go Round" –
Barbara Lewis
Barbara Ann Lewis (born February 9, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues.
Career
Lewis was born in Salem, Michigan, United States.
She was writing and recording by her teens with record ...
# "Focus (Love Theme)" –
Nick Urata
# "The Windmills of Your Mind" – Ray Conniff and The Singers
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Focus
2015 films
2015 comedy-drama films
2015 crime drama films
2015 crime thriller films
2010s comedy thriller films
2010s crime comedy-drama films
American comedy thriller films
American crime comedy-drama films
American crime thriller films
Dune Entertainment films
2010s English-language films
Films about con artists
Films about interracial romance
Films directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Films produced by Denise Di Novi
Films set in Buenos Aires
Films set in New Orleans
Films shot in Buenos Aires
Films shot in New Orleans
Films shot in New York City
IMAX films
Overbrook Entertainment films
Warner Bros. films
2010s American films