Focus 4K Review (Warner Bros.)

Focus is a 2015 drama written/directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Back in the Game, Storks, Crazy Stupid Love, I Love You Phillip Morris, Rabbit Hole, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, This is Us, and Next). The budget was $50,100,000 and it grossed $159,162,963 worldwide at the box office. Veteran con-man Nicky Spurgeon (played by: Will Smith from the Bad Boys franchise, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Men in Black franchise, Collateral Beauty, Independence Day, The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds, Ali, and Suicide Squad) encounters the inexperienced grifter Jess Barrett (played by: Margot Robbie from Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad, Barbie, Birds of Prey, The Wolf of Wall Street, I Tonya, and Once upon a time in Hollywood), who tries to con him with a even worse partner. When they come up short, Nicky decides to give Jess a chance at a legit con and no more small time stuff. Nicky’s crew includes Farhad (played by: Adrian Martinez from Renfield, Stumptown, Piranha 3DD, Cop Out, American Hustle, and Office Christmas Party) and Horst (played by: Brennan Brown from State of Play, The Man in the High Castle, and Chicago Med). She does great under his knowledge. At the Super Bowl, Nicky gets into a round of increasingly extravagant bets with gambler Liyuan Tse (played by: BD Wong from Jurassic Park franchise, Mr. Robot, Gotham, Father of the Bride franchise, OZ, and The Freshman). He can’t control himself and he ends up losing everything that his crew plus more during it. Can he get it back somehow? Nicky decides to part ways with Jess after the experience. Three years later, Nicky starts working with billionaire motorsport team owner Rafael Garriga (played by: Rodrigo Santoro from 300 franchise, Love Actually, Lost, and Westworld). Nicky sets up a con with Garriga. Nicky runs into Jess again during this job which makes everything complicated. The head of Garriga’s security Owens (played by: Gerald McRaney from The A Team, Major Dad, The Neverending Story, Deadwood, and House of Cards), is suspicious about the entire situation. He is right because Nicky double crosses Garriga and it ends up very dangerous. Is Jess involved with this ultimate con? or Has Nicky’s luck finally ran out????Focus kinda blew me away when it was originally released. I wasn’t expecting much and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s one of best con man films ever made and it still holds up. The script is loaded with twists and turns. Focus keeps you on your toes and there’s some really suspenseful moments here. I personally love the betting sequence with Will Smith and BD Wong, it always draws me in with it’s cinematic thrills. Will as Nicky Spurgeon is one of my favorite performances from the legend. He is so creative with his shady skills here. You never know what’s real with him. Margot Robbie as Jess Barrett is very impressive in this. She’s the upcoming thief trying to sharpen her talents under the influence of Nicky. She always looks amazing, Focus is no different. The chemistry between Will Smith and Margot Robbie is excellent in this. The supporting cast includes BD Wong, Gerald McRaney, Adrian Martinez, Rodrigo Santoro, Brennan Brown, and Robert Taylor (Longmire). This drama could damn near be considered a thriller with it’s concept and intense scenes. The replay value is still impressive. Focus is very fun and entertaining, RECOMMENDED!!!!Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! This 2160p (1.78:1) transfer with HDR10 is an impressive upgrade compared to the 2015 blu ray. The picture quality is much sharper but I will say that it’s a little darker compared to the original home video release. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. It’s the same audio as before but it was impressive back then and it’s no different here especially the soundtrack. All of the dialogue is very clean, the thrills are elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. There’s no new extras but everything is carried over from the older home video release. “Masters of Misdirection: The Players in a Con” is 10 minutes. It has interviews with the cast, crew, and a special consultant. It’s an inside look into stealing, scamming, and the world of the con. “Character Featurettes” is 10 minutes which includes “Gentleman Thief” and “Stealing Hearts”. Both are all about the two main characters in Focus which are Nicky and Jess. I really enjoyed both of these quick profiles on them. It has 8 minutes of “Deleted Scenes”. It has a 3 minute “Alternate Opening”. Both are very interesting and cool to experience but I see why they didn’t make the final cut. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!