Kevin Hart has a history of being typecast, but a new Netflix heist movie finally portrays him in a relatively different light. After starting his career as a stand-up comedian, Kevin Hart landed his first movie role in 2002’s Paper Soldiers. As his acting career gained momentum, he made small appearances in films like Little Fockers, Death at a Funeral, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Although these early roles did not exactly make him a household name, they determined the direction in which his career was going to head in.
In the mid-2010s, Kevin Hart started garnering more attention as a leading man after playing prominent parts in films like Get Hard, The Wedding Ringer, and Central Intelligence. With what followed, movies like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Die Hart further cemented his identity as a comedy movie star. However, after all these years, his career is now seemingly moving in a different direction — Kevin Hart’s new Netflix action comedy proves it.
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.
Kevin Hart Takes On A Relatively Serious Role In Netflix’s Lift
Kevin Hart’s role in Lift is less comical and more dramatic
Kevin Hart is mostly known for playing roles where he gets to channel his natural energy and charisma as a comedian. Most of his movie parts in films like Ride Along, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Central Intelligence are characterized by funny one-liners, animated expressions, and hilariously awkward situations. In addition to having comedic chops, most Kevin Hart films also dabble with themes of friendship and family. Whether Hart is portraying the Jumanji version of a high-school jock, or a character navigating the ebbs and flows of parenting, his performances are consistently replete with a comedic flair. However, his character in Netflix’s Lift seems different.
Although Netflix’s Lift is a lighthearted heist movie that combines action and comedy, Kevin Hart seems to portray a relatively more serious character who rarely cracks a joke. His character, Cyrus, in Lift, has his own gimmicks but is far more subdued and introspective than his previous roles. Although Lift is, by no means, a narratively deep film, Hart’s character, Cyrus, carries the weight of the responsibility of leading a team, and his actions are also driven by a deeper sense of purpose. These elements add a few extra layers to his characterization, making him appear less one-dimensional than his previous parts.
Lift Could Be A Stepping Stone For Hart To Take More Diverse Movie Roles
Kevin Hart’s Lift role paves the way for a change in his acting career
Kevin Hart’s departure from his comedic typecasting proves that Lift could be a stepping stone for him to take up more diverse roles in the future. Considering how Lift does not rise above the regular fare of heist films and does not even bother investing enough time into developing its characters, it would not be fair to say that it gives a realistic view of Kevin Hart’s abilities as a serious actor. It may also be a little too early to compare him with other Hollywood comedy actors like Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey, who defied all expectations after brilliantly portraying characters in acclaimed movies like Uncut Gems and The Truman Show, respectively.
However, since Hart’s role in Lift seems to carry more gravitas, the actor could potentially leverage it to land other challenging movie parts that break his typecasting shell. Netflix’s Lift is not a groundbreaking film in the heist subgenre and probably comes nowhere close to being as captivating as the “Ocean 11(s)” and “Mission Impossible(s),” but it gives a glimpse into Kevin Hart’s willingness to diversify his portfolio as an actor. Owing to this, Lift can be one of the many films that Kevin Hart picks up along the way as he transitions from solely being a comedy actor to a more versatile performer with both feel-good flicks and critically acclaimed dramas under his belt.
Hart’s Lift Role Proves He Is The Perfect Casting Choice For Borderlands’ Roland
Kevin Hart’s performance in Lift shows why he deserves to be Roland in Boderlands
After Lift, Kevin Hart already has another intriguing role lined up. He will be playing Roland in Eli Roth’s adaptation of the Borderlands video game. In the original game’s lore, Roland is a character from the “Soldier” class who is a strong leading figure. His origin story from the Borderlands comics reveals that although he always strived to be a noble soldier, the ones surrounding him in the military did not share the same views. This ultimately landed Roland in some serious trouble and led to his departure from the army. Roland’s backstory in Borderlands has several other nuances that make him a complex, well-written character.
In an interview (via Collider), Kevin Hart opened up about how the Borderlands movie looks a lot like the game. Reflecting on his preparation for the role, he added that he is “stepping into action full speed ahead” and that his role in the video game adaptation has “no comedy.” Kevin Hart’s revelations surrounding his portrayal of Roland in Borderlands prove he is already on the right track to expanding his range as an actor after Netflix’s Lift.
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
