Focus (2015)

"I took you off the street. Taught you my trade. I taught you my passion. Three generations of skills. And in spite of all my earnest efforts, in spite of all my hard work; you turned into a good person." 

The first time I watched this it was airing on cable television and I came into it about a quarter-way through. I've been trying to recommend it to others, but it wasn't availble for free until lately. I hopped on the opportunity to get my Mom to watch it while it was streaming on Netflix, and I must say, I'm still as impressed as the first time I watched it, which says a lot all these years later. 

It's really interesting to see Margot Robbie in such a complex role, especially only two years after her release of Wolf on Wall Street, where she was typecasted as the beautiful, blonde bombshell. While she still plays eye-candy role, I do really like the character of Jess in this film. I also really admire Will Smith's work in this film, where the high risks and high stakes, wins and losses tend to get to Nicky, and we can see that. 

I honestly really love this film just for the scene with BD Wong's Liyuan Tse, who is a high-stakes better that is reckless with his money, only wanting to make grand wagers for the "fun" of it. The mind games and manipulation was astonishing to watch my first time, and just as much the second time through. This scene itself really makes the film. 

I didn't notice how much romance was involved my first time watching, but my second time, I realized that there was a lot more to the relationship between Nicky and Jess, but I didn't mind. I don't think that it overshadowed the plot at all and I didn't find myself bored when the characters were on-screen portraying romance. I think this film does an excellent job balancing action with romance. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this film my first time watching, and enjoyed it again my second time around. I love Margot Robbie's role in this film and the emotion that she portrays through her character Jess. Will Smith does a great job showcasing the emotions that his own character deals with, and the balance between risks and rewards. I still recommend, especially while you can watch without having to rent.