What can be said about judging books by their covers can also be said of judging films by their posters. In the case of "Focus" I was drawn as much to its poster, a brilliant B&W photograph, as for its star, William H. Macy (featured prominently in the poster). The poster was reminiscent of Straw Dogs, and from that I expected a film of the same quality, a film that exercised the same subtlety and control, undoubtedly building to a similar violent climax (punctuated by the calm that preceded). But from the first scene of the film, a dream sequence that depicted a carousel (an overt metaphor for the cycle of hate that spins out of control - not unlike the film itself) I knew that my expectations would be disappointed. The sequence, aside from being gratuitous, wasn't particularly interesting - visually - and would have been better used as the background for the opening credits. Instead, the opening credits interrupt the film shortly thereafter. The dream, however, never ends, and we, the audience, are propelled deeper and deeper into a nightmare of shoddy filmmaking. There were moments when I hoped the film would improve, but ultimately the various talents that went into this film were wasted.
