Warning! This post contains major spoilers for Netflix’s Lift.
In Netflix’s Lift, hi-fi gadgets and intriguing pieces of technology are instrumental to Cyrus and his team’s mission. Although the movie lightly brushes over the purpose of each gadget in Cyrus and his team’s central heist, the actual function of each technology shown in the film remains shrouded. This makes it hard not to wonder about the hidden capabilities and intricacies of the gadgets that Cyrus and his team deploy as they set out to steal gold from a billionaire.
The opening moments of Netflix’s Lift establishes that Cyrus is somewhat of a Robin Hood-esque figure who only steals from the rich and believes in paying artists what they truly deserve for creating timeless pieces of art. However, he later gets embroiled in an international conspiracy when Interpol asks him to rob a billionaire terrorist. To pull off this risky mission, Cyrus and his team not only come up with a meticulous plan but also use cutting-edge technology to leave no room for failure.
Lift Ending Explained: What Happens During Cyrus’ Gold Heist
Starring Kevin Hart, Netflix’s Lift walks through a meticulous gold heist that presents many gripping twists and turns before it reaches its ending.
Military-Grade Laser
For breaking the vault’s lock
Although Cyrus’ overarching plan to steal Lars’ gold involves several different steps, its main focus centers on infiltrating the vault in the A380 aircraft. Magnus, who is the safecracker in Cyrus’ team, is given the responsibility of cracking open the vault, while the rest of the team members either try to distract Lars’ men or keep the aircraft invisible to Air Traffic Control. To open the vault, Magnus uses a laser. Although the movie does not explicitly explain why he uses a laser for the job, the military-grade laser seems to allow him to drill into the lock on the vault without making too much noise. This prevents Lars’ men from knowing that someone at the back of the plane is trying to steal Lars’ gold.
Stewart Platform
For stabilizing the laser
Long before Cyrus and his team set out on their gold-stealing mission, Magnus trains with the laser in Cyrus’ warehouse to ensure he is fully prepared to effectively use it on the final day. However, while he is at it, he encounters a major problem. Magnus realizes that the laser needs to be stable for him to break into the vault, but that would be hard to achieve because the aircraft will likely have some turbulence along the way. To demonstrate the effect of turbulence on the laser, Magnus even plays loud music, which instantly makes the laser wobble.
Fortunately for him, Kevin Hart’s character in Lift offers him the perfect solution to the problem by asking him to use a Stewart platform. A Stewart platform is a parallel manipulator device that consists of a rigid platform and multiple legs. It is designed in such a way that its platform can be smoothly moved at several versatile degrees of freedom. This allows Magnus to adjust his laser based on the changes in the aircraft’s motion during turbulence. At the same time, like the laser, the Stewart platform also proves to be a device that does not make a lot of noise and effectively gets the job done.
Flight Simulator
For training to fly the private jet
Since Camila plays the role of the main driver in Cyrus’ team, it becomes her responsibility to pilot the private jet that swaps the radar signal from Lars’ A380 plane. Her task during the mission proves to be more challenging than everyone else’s because she is expected to fly close enough to the A380 in her private jet to be able to swap signals with it. Although Camila initially struggles to believe she can pull it off, she keeps practicing her part on a flight simulator before she gets it right. Practicing on a simulator and flying a real aircraft can be two completely different experiences. However, Camila does a good job at traversing her simulator flying skills to flying a real private jet.
N8’s Cameras
For capturing Lars’ crime
Cyrus understands that the limited view from Camila’s cockpit in the private jet could prevent her from executing her part of the mission. Therefore, he asks Luke to install N8’s high-resolution cameras into the plane’s stealth mods, allowing Camila to have a 3-dimensional view of her surroundings during the flight. Towards the end of Netflix’s Lift, N8’s cameras come in handy again when Camila, Abby, and Cyrus crash-land in front of Lars’ estate.
Kevin Hart’s character quickly recalls how Interpol has never been able to arrest Lars because they have no concrete evidence of his cameras. Hence, to ensure their encounter with the billionaire gets caught on camera, Cyrus signals Mi-Sun to use N8’s cameras to record them. Oblivious to the fact that they are being recorded, Lars kills the Leviathon representative before Interpol shows up at his estate. When Interpol arrives, and he plays the victim card by claiming that Cyrus and his team broke into his estate, Cyrus asks Mi-Sun to play the recorded video on the LED screen below the private jet. This gives Interpol enough evidence to arrest Lars.
Portable Signal Interference Device (PSID)
For blocking signals from the A380
Mi-Sun builds a Portable Signal Interference Device (PSID) that allows Cyrus and his team to block all GPS transmissions between Air Traffic Control and the A380. By cutting the transmissions from the A380 after swapping its radar signature with the private jet, the team ensures that Air Traffic Control does not get suspicious about two flights flying too close to each other. However, the team initially faces the challenge of carrying the PSID to the A380 because it looks like a bomb. To hide the device from airport security, Mi-Sun divides it into several individual components and places each component in a non-suspicious device. After boarding the plane, Abby and Cyrus assemble all the components and hide the device in the flight’s washroom.
Drone
For carrying the A380’s radar signature
After swapping the radar sign from the A380, Camila transfers the signature to a drone and sends the drone to the runway in Zurich, where Lars expects the A380 Airbus to arrive. Owing to this, Lars and even Air Traffic Control assume that the A380 is on the right path and will arrive at its destination on time. This buys Cyrus and his team a little more time in Lift, allowing them to redirect the A380 to the Alps without Lars becoming suspicious about the whereabouts of his shipment.
Lift
From F. Gary Gray, the director of Friday and The Italian Job comes Lift – an action-heist movie starring Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. In the film, an international crew with several heists under their belts is recruited to stop a terrorist attack from happening. To do that, the team will have to conduct a high-stakes heist on a plane mid-flight.
- Release Date
- January 12, 2024
- Director
- F. Gary Gray
- Cast
- Kevin Hart , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Sam Worthington , Vincent D’Onofrio , Úrsula Corberó , Billy Magnussen , Jacob Batalon , Jean Reno
- Rating
- Not Yet Rated
- Main Genre
- Action
- Genres
- Action , Crime , Drama
- Writers
- Daniel Kunka , Emerald Fennell , Simon Kinberg
- Cinematographer
- Bernhard Jasper
- Producer
- Audrey Chon, Kevin Hart, Adam Kassan, Simon Kinberg, Matt Reeves, Bryan Smiley
- Production Company
- 6th & Idaho Productions, Genre Pictures, Hartbeat Productions
- Sfx Supervisor
- Tez Palmer
