“Lift,” Netflix’s latest heist action movie, starring Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, was released on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. F. Gary Gray, well known for directing movies such as “Straight Out of Compton” and 2003’s “Italian Job,” worked alongside comedian-actor Kevin Hart, who also produced this movie. Hart held a more action-oriented role in “Lift” as opposed to his previous comedic roles as seen by audiences in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Night School” and “Central Intelligence. “Lift” featured additional appearances made by Jacob Batalon known from Marvel’s “Spider-Man” film series and Paul Anderson who can be recognized from “Peaky Blinders.”
The movie starts with Cyrus (Kevin Hart) and his team of thieves consisting of the master of disguise Denton, pilot Camilla, hacker Mi-Sun, safe-cracking expert Magnus and engineer Luke. The team sets out to steal a $20 million NFT and a Van Gogh painting at an auction in Venice. In the process of their heist, Interpol Agent Abby Gladwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) catches Cyrus and his team for the crime, yet fails to press charges. Abby’s commanding officer Huxley proposes a deal to Cyrus and his crew: help Interpol capture and stop billionaire Lars Jorgenson from completing a gold transaction which would ultimately give him power over the stock market through the hacking group Leviathan. If the crew succeeds, their prior criminal records would be wiped clean — an incentive that convinces the team to accept the job.
Although Gary Gray and writer Daniel Kunka follow the basic guidelines of a heist movie with the appropriate amount of montage scenes and climactic last-minute escapes, the weak character development and relationships combined with a convoluted storyline that provides inconclusive information make this film less than enjoyable.
The film starts with a pre-established relationship between the crew members which is emphasized through budding conversation and banter. However, the individual characters and their relationships with each other are flat and one-dimensional. The audience is provided no background information on how the crew got together, let alone an understanding of the dynamics within the team which would contribute to their success or ultimate failure within any heist.
Not to mention, the role played by Viveik Kalra as Luke the engineer is almost unnecessary. Luke’s already minimal presence in the group completely disappears near the second half of the film as he opts out of the team’s plan of cracking the safe and stealing Jorgenson’s gold on an operating flight. Other members of the team such as Camila and Denton are given minimal dialogue and are superficial characters that operate as tools in Cyrus’ toolkit.
The central relationship of “Lift” between Abby and Cyrus feels predictable and repetitive. Their fling of a week (or 5 business days to be more specific) was the only significant exchange between the two, excluding what felt like an out-of-place conversation about Abby’s mother and her history. Limited buildup in their romantic plotline combined with the lack of on-screen chemistry between Hart and Mbatha-Raw made the conversations between them hard to watch. The predictable nature of Abby and Cyrus’ kiss amid a crisis and their tacky banter felt more cringe-worthy than romantic.
“Lift” followed a pretty clear plot line up until the second half of the movie when the team’s initial objective becomes lost amidst various problems. Changes in delivery dates by Leviathan, Jorgenson’s supposed mole and the team’s brief 5-minute log capture at the hands of Jorgenson’s henchman drags down the robustness of the story. Although Jorgenson was the prescribed villain for this film, by the end, Kunka and Gary Gray were trying to convince the audience that Interpol Supervisor Huxley was much more at fault for calling on airstrikes against Abby and Cyrus’s team while they were on the plane.
With the audience already confused by the plot and numerous unfinished side plots, the overuse of technology also greatly reduces the believability and appeal of this movie. The fact that the crew starts by stealing an NFT already feels questionable. On top of that, Mi-Sun seems to have access to extraordinary tech, giving her the ability to remotely control motorboats, hack interpol security, control airplane wifi and even construct bombs. The usage of these tech gadgets failed to achieve the look of a hyper-tech advanced heist team. Rather, it emphasized the overall unrealism and blandness of the film.
Verdict: “Lift” is ultimately a predictable heist movie that focuses more on cool gadgets and untimely plot twists than developing likable characters.
