Star Will Smith plays villain in new blockbuster

Nowhere is crime romanticised like in the Hollywood films.

If you watch Kenyan or African films, crime doesn’t seem interesting at all. The criminals live miserable lives, and it never ends well for them. Case in point, Viva Riva and Nairobi Half Life.

But not in the Hollywood films. Even when the ending isn’t so pretty, it still seems, in most movies, like a beautiful, honourable, almost enviable adventure; think The Italian Job, Heist, Fly Paper, The Godfather, Scarface and American Gangster.

Well, the latest addition to this list, Focus, opened in the theatres two weeks ago to quite a bit of excitement, managing to unseat Fifty Shades of Grey from its two-week stint as the top-box office earner.

Focus, written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who are famed for the their films I Love You Phillip Morris and Crazy Stupid Love, has two main things that make it appealing.

First, it stars one of the most bankable actors in the world, Will Smith. The 46-year-old, who plays con man Nicky Spurgeon in Focus, is a four-time Grammy Award winner and two-time Oscar nominee with 13 movies under his belt that have raked in over $100 million at the box office.

These include Wild Wild West, Hancock, Independence Day, Hitch, Bad Boys, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Robot and I am Legend.

GRIPPING STORY LINE

The second thing that makes Focus a great movie is its gripping story line. Focus is not as elaborate as The Italian Job or as intriguing as Catch Me If you Can, and neither is it as absorbing and deep-rooted as The Godfather. But despite its moderate pace, the film manages to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In the movie, Nicky Spurgeon (Smith), a well-known and arguably successful con, meets a beautiful woman, Jess, played by Australian Wolf of Wall Street actress Margot Robbie, while on a night out.

Jess is an amateur con artist, who unsuccessfully tries to shake up Nicky. Intrigued by her, Nicky follows the dejected Jess and shows off, a few tricks of stealing things from other people.

Jess asks if Nicky can teach her his ways, but he says he has to leave town for a job. Jess follows and tracks Nicky to New Orleans, where he and his team are about to undertake a big job.

It so happens that there is a big sporting event that will bring scores of people to town who, as Nicky describes, “are there to spend a lot of money and cheat on their spouses.”

Jess proves herself by using her charm and good looks to easily steal an impressive number of watches and wallets on a busy street. She is accepted into the team.

NOT ALL MUSHY

At the end of the weekend, the very well-coordinated team has managed to steal valuables worth over a million dollars. Two problems ensue, however. The first is that Nicky loses all the money gambling against a rich Asian billionaire.

The second problem, and one that forms the premise of the rest of the movie, is that Nicky has fallen head over heels in love with Jess. Looking to not to live up to his nickname, he pays Jess her cut after the job and sends her off, leaving her distraught.

Years later, Nick is in Argentina doing a job for billionaire and Formula One team owner Rafael (Rodrigo Santoro). He’s got a plan to make himself a lot of money both from Rafael and the guy being duped but it so happens that Jess is now Rafael’s girlfriend. This throws him off quite a bit as he tries to both pull off his con and win back Jess.

The film, which has so far grossed over $30 million worldwide, is not all mushy. There’s plenty of the crime romanticising — fast cars, fancy hotels, wild parties, seductive women and plenty of cash.

In Focus, Smith, who rarely plays the bad guy, gives a spectacular performance.

Focus is showing at the Imax in Nairobi and all major cinemas countrywide.