By Ben McEachenWednesday 4 Mar 2015MoviesReading Time: 3 minutes
Do you know what? We’re funny. Not funny “ha-ha”, but funny peculiar. I’ll give you an example, from my own life. I enjoy watching con-artist movies, yet I don’t like people being ripped off.
Will Smith and rising Australian actress Margot Robbie star in the new, slick but shallow crime caper Focus. He plays career scammer Nicky. She plays wannabe scammer Jess. Together, they are the core of an overly familiar and fairly dull con-artist movie that hopes its international locations and sophisticated crimes will fool us. Fool us into believing Focus is a great con-artist movie.
Because I didn’t enjoy Focus, it got me thinking about why I like con-artist movies at all. Movies such as The Sting, Ocean’s 11, The Usual Suspects and Now You See Me. I’ve got a lot of time for those movies but, hang on a minute, don’t they represent the opposite of what I put so much stock in? How I value honesty and integrity in real-life, because it’s so valuable to God – who sees everything, including dodgy stuff like the major racket that Nicky orchestrates amid “Superbowl Fever” in New Orleans.
Reflected throughout of all of God’s dealing with us – from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) to the disciple Peter (Matthew 26:69-75) – He prioritises telling the truth over telling porky pies. Why? One reason is lying stems from a desire for selfish gain, not full disclosure. And if we’re always out for ourselves, it comes at the expense of relating openly and fully with others. Which is what God wants with us, and for us – relationships built on mutual trust and reliability. Lying deprives others of who we actually are, and can only be a foundation for corrosive distrust. But Nicky in Focus sees life from the opposite perspective. “Die with the lie” is some of the heartfelt advice he gives Jess, about sticking with your fake story, even to the point of death.
Watching Nicky and Jess go about their bland business, not helped by a lack of on-screen chemistry and the plot’s refusal to break new ground, I could still feel the allure of professional liars. How much easier could life be, if we took easy advantage of people and milked them for huge gain? Easier than telling the truth, which so often can be uncomfortable, dangerous or not great for career development. While plenty about Focus is unconvincing – from Nicky and Jess’ one-dimensional attraction, to their “chance” meeting during the film’s second-half – what’s interesting is how our dishonest lead characters keep expecting each other to be trustworthy with them.
No matter the con-artist movie that we are watching, what we are watching out for is The Big Twist. The major revelation about how a scam was executed or the possibility that, all along, audience members have been taken for a ride. Lulled into believing something that the con-artist movie goes on to show was not worth believing in. Because it was a con, all along. Given that’s always how these movies play out, its almost hilarious that characters within them seem to genuinely yearn for honesty among thieves. Even though, they know what we definitely know – they’re professional liars who rip people off.
While Focus isn’t memorable, the sophistication of Nicky’s scams are quite something. The success of a con-artist movie tends to hinge on our enjoyment of being let in on a scam, and how it goes down. But as we get into being on the inside, check how much we are getting into a place like Nicky and Jess. Where the truth about lying becomes a matter of individual determination and not – as so many con-artist movies themselves have proved – a destructive force in relationships.
Rating: MA 15+
Distributor: Roadshow
Release Date: March 5