Lift: The Good, The Bad, and The Not-So-Exciting.

Lift, the 2024 heist comedy film directed by F. Gary Gray and penned by Daniel Kunka,
presents a star-studded cast including Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio,
Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, and Sam Worthington. Released
on Netflix on January 12, 2024, the film attempts to blend humor with high-stakes heist
action but falls short of achieving cinematic greatness.

The plot follows Cyrus, an accomplished international thief, leading a diverse crew in a dual
heist involving the theft of a Van Gogh painting in London and the staged kidnapping of NFT
artist N8 in Venice. The narrative takes a turn when Interpol agent Abby Gladwell, a former
romantic interest of Cyrus, discovers evidence pointing to members of the crew. Instead of
pressing charges, Abby’s superior coerces them into assisting with the capture of banker and
terrorist mastermind Lars Jorgenson.

While the premise may hold promise, no matter how flogged, ‘Lift’ failed in execution. The
film is a bag of clichés. The characters had no back story which made it difficult to care
whether they got away, and most of them were unnecessary and had little to nothing to do
with the plot. What was Denton, master of disguise, played by Vincent D’Onofrio’s part in
the heist again?

The action scenes were glib, and the special effects looked somewhat like a video game.
Plus, Cyrus and Abby Gladwell had no chemistry and their flirtations were a tad bit
awkward. Kevin Hart took a break from his usual yappy character in movies, I didn’t quite
feel it, but A for effort.

With a rating of 5.2 in my books, ‘Lift’ fails to rise above mediocrity. It may entertain those
seeking a light-hearted heist comedy, but it doesn’t distinguish itself as a standout action
movie. Do you agree? Leave me a comment.

Caio!