In his fourth Netflix feature film within the last five years, Kevin Hart’s latest partnership with the streaming service sees him as heist grand master Cyrus Whitaker. In his quest to pull off the biggest and most challenging heist of his career, Cyrus joins his league of super thieves to do the unthinkable. Lift, written by Daniela Kunka and directed by F. Gary Gray, pulls together an all-star cast to steal $100 million in gold to prevent world disasters. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds, but for once, Netflix’s zest for absurdity pays off.
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
- Main Genre
- Action
- Writers
- Daniel Kunka , Emerald Fennell , Simon Kinberg
- Cinematographer
- Bernhard Jasper
Kevin Hart & Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Chemistry Adds To Lift’s Tension
Things don’t go exactly as planned for Cyrus and company, which leads to an uncomfortable partnership between the people who uphold and enforce the law and those that break it. Thanks to a larger (and more dangerous) mission that Interpol seeks to solve, Cyrus and his team must partner with Agent Abby Gladwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) in order to buy back their freedom after getting caught. To make matters worse, Cyrus and Abby, in particular, have to deal with unresolved feelings that still linger after a romantic fling in Paris.
The chemistry is just right between Hart and Mbatha-Raw. From longing looks of desire to angry stares and eye-rolls, their characters’ attraction to one another is through the roof, adding to the drama and stakes that will inevitably unravel complications for the case. The film does suffer from a case of side character syndrome, though, and little time is spent on side characters besides showcasing different personality quirks and skill sets. We’ll never know much about the teammates supporting Whitaker’s operation. However, it’s important to give this cast their accolades. Even with little material to work from, they possess a chemistry as if they’ve been working together for years.
F. Gary Gray’s Directorial Choices Really Make Lift Pop
Sure, Lift is ridiculously unrealistic and contains few serious undertones within the script, but it all seems to work. This action comedy is entertaining from a story point of view and includes some noteworthy directional choices from Gray. Gray’s film captures the game of cat and mouse quite nicely early on, and the opening sequence is riddled with striking style and blocking. His directional choices, paired with the action sequences that transpire, are sure to grab your attention and keep you glued to your seat, ready for more.
The Straight Outta Compton director clearly had some fun behind the scenes, using the latest technology crazes to appeal to audiences of all types. It’s creative and entertaining, and if given the chance, Lift may be your first pleasant surprise of the year. It would be easy to write Lift off as just another standard Netflix film given the plot and outlandish things the characters must do to save the day. You wouldn’t be wrong to do so — the script could use some refinement, after all. But while Lift doesn’t break any genre barriers, it’s good entertainment for a slow Friday night.
Packed with great action sequences and a cast that is committed to each other and the script, Gray’s latest is creative and fun enough to hold attention. Of course, the film isn’t perfect as it suffers greatly from having too many side characters to be able to tell their stories adequately. And with such an emphasis on the “saving the world” angle, you’d figure there would be higher stakes. But even with the film lacking in these two departments, Lift is quality entertainment and deserving of at least a single watch.
