A Bisaya Short Film Style Movie Review of Will Smith's Focus

by Guest Contributor Juanita Abad, retired writer/translator, like Lydia Davis

The movie proves that Will Smith is truly an actor for all seasons and all kind of films. In this movie, he plays a con man mentoring a very pretty white lady who happens to make conning her livelihood. They become lovers and partners in conning rich men who frequent rich parties and places. 

They are very skilled in what they are doing, very organized and very disciplined. The key to a successful con activity is focus, which means if you focus on stealing an expensive watch, focus on something else, like his bag. He gets distracted, and that is the perfect timing to grab his watch without his knowing it. 

The character Will Smith is playing comes from a family of con artists, starting from his grandfather to his father. He tells his pretty student that his father killed his grandfather to get out of a life-and-death situation. "Never hesitate to kill your partner if necessary," is his guiding mantra.

One successful and impressive con activity was with a Chinese gambler who bets on anything that comes his way. The hotel where the betting will take place has numbers hanging on every corner as some sort of decoration. The idea was to instill in this gambler these three numbers. Being superstitious, he thinks these three numbers will bring good luck. Smith lets him win along the way. When the betting reaches the final round, he bets on the three numbers he sees all over the hotel. This time he loses, and Smith has calculated that these three numbers will bring downfall and enormous loss to this Chinese.

Years later their paths crossed again. The pretty girl is being used by his father for another con activity. Will Smith is also targetting the same victim. How to extricate themselves from this dilemma? It is something Smith did not prepare himself for, that is when he falls in love with another con artist. 

Well, to end the story, Will Smith gets the girl but not the money. His father wins but the lovers as well as partners get to live happily ever after, not to mention they can still plan another con activity.

- this movie review is written by Guest Contributor Juanita Abad, retired writer/translator, like Lydia Davis