Entertainment
Margot Robbie's Sexy Netflix Crime Thriller Is One Ridiculous Twist After Another
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Margot Robbie exploded onto the scene with 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street and held her own on screen with Leonardo DiCaprio. It could have been a thankless role as a trophy wife, but Robbie’s charm and talent made it memorable beyond her stunning looks. For a follow-up, Robbie went up against another award-winning A-list star, Will Smith, in 2015’s Focus, now available on Netflix, a twisty heist thriller that overcomes a thin plot thanks to the effortless charm of its two leads.
Margot Robbie And Will Smith Sizzle On Screen
Will Smith plays Nicky, a con artist, when he winds up in bed with Margot Robbie’s Jess, and then can’t help but laugh at her partner’s inept attempt at the “jealous boyfriend con.” Impressed by her part in it, he uses her for a con at the Super Bowl that stretches the limits of believability only 20 minutes into the film. Focus picks up again three years later, when they cross paths in Buenos Aires while both targeting the same mark: Rafeal, a billionaire F-1 team owner.
Working against each other, then with each other, and then against each other again, Nicky and Jess spend the rest of Focus’s run time betraying everyone in sight. As with all great heist films, it’s leading up to a reveal at the end with one final twist, but by that point, it doesn’t really matter. In fact, the plot of the film is largely inconsequential as an excuse to have Smith and Robbie share the screen in a wealthy, tropical location, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
An Old-School Con
Like any good con artist, Focus won’t stick in your memory for weeks after seeing it. You’ll have the hazy recollection of a film that was a fun watch, but if you can’t remember where Jess was standing when she slipped a watch, or how Nicky planted numbers in the mind of a mark, it’s alright, because in the moment, it was fun. After clearing $158 million at the box office, but stumbling with critics (55 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and the general public (53 percent audience rating), it’s clear that your enjoyment of the film will rest entirely on how you like your escapism.
The current generation of heist films is still being influenced by either Ocean’s 11 or Fast Five, but Focus is more of a direct throwback to one of the best crime movies of the 70s, The Sting. How the small cast reacts to each other as the situation around them devolves gets the focus instead of Ocean’s expansive team or Fast Five’s action sequences, resulting in a slower-paced, character-driven story than most modern movies.
Focus isn’t the best heist movie, but it’s also not the worst. What it is is another showpiece performance from Margot Robbie in only her second major movie role. Going from Leonardo DiCaprio to Will Smith in her first two films is a testament to her talent. After watching the two try to outdo each other in Buenos Aires, it’s especially fun to rewatch their second pairing, Suicide Squad, which lacks all of the charm and spark they brought to Focus.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for March 22, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Parasite.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
LEECH
Hurdle Word 2 hint
A memorial.
Mashable Top Stories
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
VIGIL
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To fret.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
PANIC
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Came to life.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
AWOKE
Final Hurdle hint
The source.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
CAUSE
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on March 22
After several nights of near darkness, the Moon is finally illuminated enough that keen sky gazers can start to spot some features on the surface again. Keep reading to find out what you may be able to see tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, March 22, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 14% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
Tonight marks the return of enough of the Moon’s surface to see some exciting features. For example, without any visual aids NASA tells us you can spot the Mare Fecunditatis and the Mare Crisium. These are situated on the middle right of the moon, or middle left if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.
With binoculars or a telescope, you’ll see these and also the Edymion Crater, positioned at the top right, or bottom left.
When is the next Full Moon?
In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.
What are Moon phases?
NASA says the Moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit Earth, going through eight different phases. We always see the same side, but the Sun lights up different portions as it moves, which is why it can look full, half, or just a thin sliver. These changing shapes are called the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:
Mashable Light Speed
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Entertainment
This $430 MacBook Pro deal wont stick around for long — act fast to save
TL;DR: Get a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) — featuring a Retina display, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD while stock lasts.
$429.97
$1,999
Save $1,569.03
MacBook Pros are known for their performance and build quality, but they’re also known for their price tags. That’s why refurbished deals can be worth paying attention to, especially when they involve higher-end models.
Right now, a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) is available for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) for a limited time. With Grade A refurbished condition, it arrives in like-new condition, while delivering the same performance the MacBook Pro line is known for.
Key features:
-
2GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
-
16GB RAM for smooth multitasking and demanding workloads
-
13.3″ Retina display (2560×1600) with Apple’s True Tone technology
-
Intel Iris Plus Graphics for creative work and streaming
-
Touch Bar for shortcuts
-
Touch ID fingerprint login
-
Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
-
Up to 10 hours of battery life for working on the go
-
Optimized for the latest macOS
If you’ve been waiting for a reasonably priced MacBook Pro, this refurbished 2020 model is on sale for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) while stock lasts.
Mashable Deals
Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Predators look to further cement playoff position in Chicago
Cubs OF Seiya Suzuki (knee) will not be ready for Opening Day
