★★★★☆

Most good films will incorporate at least one or two plot twists to keep audiences on their toes. “Focus” contains such a litany of them that it warrants a second and perhaps even a third and fourth watch so that audiences can grasp every planned nuance in retrospect.

Starring Will Smith as Nicky, a seasoned con man with an extensive money-making operation, the film’s plot quickly spins a complicated web of lies from the start. It begins benignly enough — Nicky encounters a beautiful young woman in a restaurant named Jess (Margot Robbie). Although it seems as though they are two casual strangers flirting over dinner, Nicky and Jess have already begun manipulating each other.

Jess seeks Nicky’s mentorship because she is a novice to the world of con artistry. After some back and forth, he agrees to teach her his trade in New Orleans during the Superbowl. Once there, Jess becomes familiar with Nicky’s operation and meets his team, including the perpetually-entertaining Farhad (Adrian Martinez).

BD Wong gives a creepy, yet excellent, performance as Liyuan, a rich gambler at the Superbowl who bets millions of dollars against Nicky and Jess. His character in “Focus” presents an interesting contrast to his well-known role as a calm and collected psychiatrist on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.”

After the Superbowl is over, Nicky and Jess part ways and meet again in Buenos Aires three years later. Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro), a wealthy racecar titan, contracts Nicky to rig an important race. Jess claims to be dating Garriga. Nicky and Jess reignite their complicated relationship, bouncing back and forth between one based on romance and extortion.

Towards the end of the film, the plot twists are so frequent that it is difficult to keep track of what’s real and what’s not. This uncertainty makes the culminating scene even more enthralling and truly keeps the audience’s attention focused.

Smith and Robbie are surprisingly electrifying on screen together, and each delivers a powerful performance. Smith especially gives an emotional portrayal of Nicky as a man with many layers. His character constantly oscillates between a lovelorn, sensitive lone wolf and a cold, calculating criminal.

Jess, however, proves to be his equal in terms of manipulative prowess, which may just be why the two seem like such a perfect match. Throughout the film, their relationship seems like the shadow of a real love story – similar, but not quite one.

Although most of “Focus” is characterized by tension, the film has many genuinely funny scenes. Both Nicky and Farhad contribute hilarious one-liners and lighten the seriousness of the movie in a refreshing and necessary way.

The cinematography augments the defining theme of the movie – focus. Whenever Nicky loses control of a situation because he can’t maintain his concentration, the shot becomes fuzzy. As a result, when Nicky loses focus, the audience loses focus. Even so, the viewers are always a step behind throughout the film.

Each time the viewer adjusts to a suspected trajectory of the movie, their perception is forced to change when the plot abruptly shifts. This style of film is certainly thrilling and suspenseful, but can also feel disconcerting. In all honesty, it’s not for everyone, but it’s probably appealing for most.

Ultimately, “Focus” is a movie about lying. It truly makes the viewer realize how willing we are to believe what we are told. Even until the very end of the film, “Focus” delivers plot twist after plot twist and conditions the viewer to doubt every assumption.

The film is simultaneously unsettling and fascinating because it has all the plot points of a typical thriller movie but many of them are falsely created. Even if you enter “Focus” with a high degree of suspicion, you won’t be able to predict half of the plot twists – and that makes for a great film experience.