Does a cinematic sports betting scene have to be particularly believable to be extremely enjoyable? Focus, a stylish 2015 action-romance headlined by Will Smith and Margot Robbie, proves that the answer is no.
Nicky (played by Smith) is a supposedly compulsive gambler who finds himself down $100,000 during the Super Bowl in a (now-Caesars) Superdome suite that belongs to an extremely high roller by the name of Mr. Liuyan (BD Wong, in prime scene-stealing mode).'
Nicky has been losing by way of some extremely hasty prop bets, like whether the next play will result in a completed pass. Flush from a series of heists, he then bets his entire bankroll – $1 million in cash – on a high-card draw. Liuyan again wins, and Nicky goes bust, much to the chagrin of Nicky’s sexy sidekick, Jess (Robbie, then on the cusp of stardom).
But the world of high-stakes gambling is no stranger to lines of credit, and when Nicky offers to wager $2 million on an outlandish followup bet, Liuyan's at least interested. After a bit of negotiating, the bet will work like this: Liuyan will select any player on the field and keep that information to himself, at which point Jess will attempt to correctly guess which player caught Liuyan's eye. If she's right, Liuyan could get away with lying, but Nicky says he trusts him to tell the truth.
“You're f**king crazy, but I can't turn down free money,” Liuyan tells Nicky.
A familiar face on the field
Jess has feelings for Nicky and, fearing that he's about to blow his entire crime syndicate's money, is reluctant to participate after Liuyan makes his selection.
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“He's crazy, I know, but it will be his fault, not yours,” says a reassuring Liuyan before giving Nicky the opportunity to back out.'
Nicky declines the offer and Jess, after scanning the field with a pair of binoculars, spots a familiar face and selects No. 55 on the Rhinos. (Their jerseys look like those of the Philadelphia Eagles; clearly, the NFL declined to participate in the film.)
“No, no, no, no … no f**king way,” replies an admirably honest Liuyan as The Rolling Stones' “Sympathy for the Devil” plays in the background. “That is unbelievable. How did you do that?”
He then praises Nicky for his “big f**king balls,” and after Nicky jokingly (???) offers to go double or nothing on another wager, Liuyan replies, “No f**king way; get out of my suite right now,” before paying up.
A lot to swallow
The man in the No. 55 jersey turned out to be Farhad (Adrian Martinez, bets known as Aaron Rodgers' sidekick in those Discount Double Check commercials), a member of Nicky's crew, which Jess aspires to join. Nicky explains to Jess that his team worked to make sure Liuyan saw those two numerals – as well as Farhad's visage – as frequently as possible in the days leading up to the game, so as to subconsciously nudge him in that direction.
Fair enough, but why didn't Nicky tell Jess this before she made her selection? Perhaps it's because she hadn't yet earned his trust, but still, he could have whispered the numerals to her shortly before she took the binoculars so as to ensure she couldn't hatch an advance plan to double-cross him.
Also, why would Nicky trust the honor system when it came to Liuyan revealing the player he'd selected, and why did Liuyan tell the truth when he realized he'd lost the bet? Conceivably, it's because Liuyan was so rich that $2 million was like a two-dollar bill to him, and that Nicky knew that about him.
It's a lot to swallow, but that doesn't mean it's not a great scene.