She begs him to teach her the proper way to work a con, and teams up with his aforementioned already large team, including his closest friend and colleague, Farhad (Adrian Martinez).
Together, they execute one of the biggest cons in recent history, netting millions of dollars for only a few weeks work, culminating in a massive injection of cash from compulsive better Liyuan (BD Wong) in New Orleans.
After the job is over, however, they part ways, and not particularly amicably.
Three years later, they run into each other again in Buenos Aires, where Nicky is still conning wealthy people out of large sums of money, working for tech mogul Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro) and his bodyguard Owens (Gerald McRaney). Meanwhile, Jess has left that part of her life behind.
I can’t say any more than that, for fear of spoiling it for you. Suffice it to say, though, there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns before the film’s final, shocking conclusion.
The script by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa - who also directed the film - is incredibly clever, as you can probably guess. Any film of this type (such as the Ocean’s trilogy with George Clooney and Brad Pitt or, going back a little further, The Sting) has to have a very tight script, with plenty of twists as well as plenty of red herrings combined with plenty of action. This film has them all, and it is very enjoyable to experience these as a viewer. It had been some time for me between viewings (I saw this first in the cinema years ago, and then only once more for the purposes of writing this review), and it was like I was viewing them for the first time all over again.
The cinematography (by Xavier Grobet) is nothing particularly spectacular. I mean, it works fine, and everything is clear and well-framed, but there is nothing especially outlandish or noticeable about it.
Nick Urata’s score, however, is quite interesting. Almost none of the film is scored, believe it or not. There are a few songs in the soundtrack, but in terms of original score, it is very light. And this works so well for the film. Sometimes, the score can become distracting for the viewer, but that is not the case here. The portions which are scored are done so magnificently, with great subtlety, and the portions that are not (as I mentioned, this is the majority of the film) are able to take centre stage without being bogged down in unnecessary music.
Beth Mickle’s production design and Dayna Pink’s costumes are both stunning. I particularly want to mention the costumes here, specifically the myriad of outfits that Jess wears. These are all so well designed and fitted, it is truly a joy to behold.
The cast are all fantastic here, too. Those who needed it did actually have the instruction of a sleight-of-hand expert (and con artist) on set, in order to fine tune the necessary moves and misdirection they needed to learn. These moves are all executed flawlessly, to the extent that you can believe that they have been doing this stuff for years.
Of particular note is Margot Robbie’s performance as Jess, which is - in my opinion - one of the highlights of her career, certainly up to this point in 2014, if not beyond. Even though she is not the protagonist here (that, I would say, is Will Smith’s character), she most definitely steals the show with her portrayal of her character.
The directors (who, as you may recall, wrote the screenplay) have made a truly magnificent thriller here, one that I ought to see again, perhaps a little sooner this time around.
7 1/2 out of 10.
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