Focus (2015)

One luxury box bet, about halfway through, is the whole reason Focus exists, and the movie spends the rest of its 105 minutes trying to con you into thinking otherwise. B. D. Wong plays a high roller who loves raising the stakes, Will Smith keeps doubling down, and the payoff is a magic trick built on a number you’ve been seeing all day. After that, the story moves to Buenos Aires for a race team scheme and a romance with more twists than heat. Smith is smooth but oddly low-wattage for a guy you’re supposed to fall for. Margot Robbie is the reason to watch. Jess goes from clumsy rookie to sharp operator, and you buy every step. Gerald McRaney grumbles through the back half as a cranky bodyguard and steals it. It made $159.2 million worldwide on a reported $50.1 to $65 million. A 5.4 because one great scene and one great performance can’t cover all the card tricks. $6,544 says you pat your back pocket at least twice during the New Orleans montage.

What works: Margot Robbie makes Jess’s rise from rookie to pro completely believable, and the luxury box gamble is a perfectly built little con.

What doesn’t: The Buenos Aires half piles on twists without real stakes, and Will Smith never fully switches on the charm a con man needs.

Who it’s for: People who like heist movies for the sleight of hand more than the plot, and anyone who has ever lost a wallet in a crowd.