Movies Like Focus for seductive crime stories with sharp chemistry
Seductive crime romances built on bluffing, split loyalties, and mentors testing protégés.
Seductive crime romances built on bluffing, split loyalties, and mentors testing protégés.
Best first watch
Entrapment (1999)
93% fit112 min · IMDb 6.3 · RT 40%
Like this page's pick, Entrapment runs on a seductive crime romance where every flirtation doubles as bluffing. Jon Amiel keeps Mac and Gin in a mentor-protégé rhythm at first, then flips it as split loyalties surface and each setup may be a trap. The pacing stays sleek and playful, with elegant break-ins instead of heavy gunfire.
Watch if
Watch if seductive bluffing and split loyalties sound great for date night.
Skip if
Skip if you want loud action over mentors testing protégés.
For you if
- You want crime stories where chemistry matters as much as the score.
- You enjoy mentor-protégé dynamics, confidence games, and shifting power plays.
- You like polished capers with charm, banter, and emotional risk.
Not for you if
- You want hard-edged heists focused on guns, tactics, and constant danger.
- You prefer broad crime comedies built around chaos and dumb luck.
- You need straightforward romances without deception, double-crosses, or criminal schemes.
How Focus (2015) alternatives compare
Pick Entrapment for the sleekest flirt-and-duel setup. Go with Out of Sight if you want the strongest chemistry and more grown-up pauses between the moves. After the Sunset is the breeziest weeknight option. The Brothers Bloom gives you the richest mentors-and-protégés angle. Now You See Me works best when you want faster pace, bigger misdirection, and crew tricks over romance.
How flirty is it?
Constant sparks
How twisty is the con?
Layered trap
How much is it about a couple?
Pure duo game
Violence level
Very light
How flirty is it?
Sunny couple banter
How twisty is the con?
Relaxed shuffle
How much is it about a couple?
Established pair
Violence level
Light action
How flirty is it?
Slow-burn heat
How twisty is the con?
Character-first turns
How much is it about a couple?
Two leads first
Violence level
Moderate crime heat
How flirty is it?
Storybook romance
How twisty is the con?
Con inside con
How much is it about a couple?
Romance plus brothers
Violence level
Mostly gentle
How flirty is it?
Mostly professional
How twisty is the con?
Full misdirection
How much is it about a couple?
Crew over couple
Violence level
Fast but mild
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Not sure what to watch?
Date night
The flirtation, luxury settings, and trust games keep the mood playful without pushing the violence too hard.
Quick watch
At 97 minutes, it gives you breezy thief chemistry and last-score suspense without asking for a long night.
Friend group
The ensemble, magician-heist hook, and fast reveals give everyone something to react to between twists.
Find your pick
Do you want a big, fast heist built around stage magic, team chemistry, and twist-heavy spectacle?
Moments you loved
Best movies like Focus (2015)
1. Entrapment (1999)
112 min · IMDb 6.3 · RT 40%
Like this page's pick, Entrapment runs on a seductive crime romance where every flirtation doubles as bluffing. Jon Amiel keeps Mac and Gin in a mentor-protégé rhythm at first, then flips it as split loyalties surface and each setup may be a trap. The pacing stays sleek and playful, with elegant break-ins instead of heavy gunfire.
Watch if
Watch if seductive bluffing and split loyalties sound great for date night.
Skip if
Skip if you want loud action over mentors testing protégés.
Where to watch
2. After the Sunset (2004)
97 min · IMDb 6.3 · RT 18%
After the Sunset keeps the same seductive crime romance energy, but Brett Ratner plays it looser and sunnier. Max and Lola feel like veterans living inside a long bluff, while the possible last score stirs split loyalties around trust, retirement, and temptation. Mentors and protégés sit in the background, and couple chemistry drives the movie.
Watch if
Watch if you want seductive crime romance with easy laughs and bluffing.
Skip if
Skip if mentors testing protégés is your favorite part of this angle.
Where to watch
3. Out of Sight (1998)
123 min · IMDb 7.0 · RT 94%
Out of Sight turns pursuit into a seductive crime romance, with Jack Foley and Karen Sisco talking like two people who already know the ending is trouble. Steven Soderbergh gives the movie room to breathe, so bluffing and split loyalties feel intimate instead of flashy. Mentors and protégés matter less here, and adult attraction and bad timing take over.
Watch if
Watch if split loyalties and grown-up flirting matter more than big twists.
Skip if
Skip if you want mentors testing protégés or a flashy crew setup.
Where to watch
4. The Brothers Bloom (2008)
114 min · IMDb 6.7 · RT 68%
The Brothers Bloom leans harder into the mentor side of the con, with Stephen shaping the job and Bloom struggling to stay inside the script. Rian Johnson fills the story with bluffing, romantic detours, and split loyalties as Penelope stops feeling like a mark. Of these picks, it comes closest to mentors testing protégés through affection and control.
Watch if
Watch if you like bluffing, split loyalties, and a romantic adventure vibe.
Skip if
Skip if you prefer grounded crime romance over mentors testing protégés.
Where to watch
5. Now You See Me (2013)
116 min · IMDb 7.2 · RT 51%
Now You See Me trades the central couple for a flashier crew, yet it still taps the same bluffing rush. Louis Leterrier drives the pace harder, building the whole movie around hidden handlers, split loyalties, and mentors testing protégés inside the Four Horsemen act. The romance stays light, but the pleasure of watching a job click into place gets bigger.
Watch if
Watch if bluffing, mentors testing protégés, and slick crew chaos excite you.
Skip if
Skip if you need a strong crime romance at the center.
Where to watch
Beyond movies
TV shows and books that scratch the same itch
Good Girls
This sits squarely in the heist space, with late-night jobs, scams, and a crew learning how to stay one step ahead. It also matches Focus through its flirt-heavy criminal push and pull, especially in the charged mentor-protégé dynamic between Beth and Rio, where trust is always a tactic.
Netflix
Kaleidoscope
This is pure heist-night planning, crew chemistry, and execution under pressure, built around a high-end robbery with constant double-cross risk. Like Focus, it leans into slick deception, shifting loyalties, and people reading each other as carefully as they read the score.
Netflix
Money Heist
It fully belongs in the heist hub, with detailed plans, cool-headed operators, and the rush of watching a job evolve in real time. The show shares Focus's mix of seduction and manipulation too, with romances and power games constantly affecting who is loyal to whom.
Netflix
Queenpin
by Megan E. Abbott
Gloria Denton schooling a young nightclub bookkeeper in casinos, betting parlours, and inside heists makes this one of the closest matches to Focus on the list. Its pull comes from dangerous glamour, a mentor-protégée bond turning into a power struggle, and the added risk of falling for the wrong man.
Available at major bookstores
Common questions about movies like Focus (2015)
What is the best movie like Focus (2015)?
Based on our analysis, Entrapment (1999) is the closest match with a 93% fit score. See the full breakdown above for why it earned the top spot.
Which of these works best with a partner who likes romance more than crime?
Entrapment and Out of Sight fit best because the relationship stays front and center. After the Sunset also works well if your partner wants a lighter, shorter watch. Now You See Me is better when both of you enjoy trick reveals and ensemble energy more than flirting.
Which one should I avoid if I do not enjoy much tension or betrayal?
After the Sunset is the gentlest sit if betrayal and pressure wear you out. Now You See Me throws the most rapid deception at you, and Out of Sight carries stronger law pressure and gun tension. Entrapment stays smooth, but trust games run through almost every scene.
What should I watch if I want something breezy and upbeat tonight?
After the Sunset is the easiest pick for a breezy, upbeat night because the beach setting and Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek Pinault pairing keep things loose. The Brothers Bloom also lands softly, though its storybook sadness sneaks in. Entrapment feels cooler and more teasing.
Which is the quickest watch for a weeknight, and which needs more attention?
After the Sunset is the shortest at 97 minutes, and it moves with banter you can settle into fast. Out of Sight takes longer and asks for more attention because Steven Soderbergh lets scenes breathe. Now You See Me is brisk, but its reveals land if you track the details.
Which one feels sleek and sexy, and which one feels more playful?
Entrapment is the sleek one, with Jon Amiel turning luxury spaces into flirt arenas. After the Sunset feels sunnier and looser. The Brothers Bloom plays like a storybook, while Now You See Me goes big on stage-show energy and fast reveals.
Which should I start with if I am new to heist romances?
Start with Entrapment if you are new to heist romances. Jon Amiel keeps the setup clean, the pair easy to follow, and the bluffing front and center. Move to Out of Sight when you want more character pauses, then The Brothers Bloom for a stranger, more storybook con.
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