Lift Review | Kevin Hart Flexes Leading Man Muscles in Slick Heist Film

Summary

• Kevin Hart delivers a surprising and engaging performance as a sophisticated art thief in a fun action comedy.
• Director F. Gary Gray brings his expertise in big-budget productions, giving Lift slick and stylish production values.
• The supporting ensemble adds charm and humor, compensating for the unremarkable villain. Although familiar, the film is an enjoyable experience.

Kevin Hart flexes his leading man muscles as a sophisticated protagonist in a fun and breezy action comedy. Lift has a suave art thief and his dedicated crew of motley misfits going for the heist of a lifetime with help from a conflicted Interpol agent. Director F. Gary Gray dusts off his The Italian Job mojo to give the film slick, big-budget production values. A likable supporting ensemble adds just enough charm to make up for an unremarkable villain. We’ve seen all this before in numerous blockbusters, but that doesn’t make the experience less enjoyable.

Cyrus (Hart) walks into a ritzy Venice art auction and takes a prominent seat in the front. Many of the well-to-do bidders hide their faces behind masks, but Cyrus wants to be seen. That much is obvious to the Interpol agents monitoring the event from every angle. Abby Gladwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is desperate to catch Cyrus. She had a brief fling with him while undercover and didn’t know his status as an unparalleled pilferer. The concerted focus on Cyrus ignores the nattily dressed Denton (Vincent D’Onofrio) sitting several rows behind him.

The auctioneer announces the prize that everyone has been eagerly waiting for. The anonymous digital artist N8 (Jacob Batalon) stands for the crowd. He will mint an NFT publicly in an extraordinary first. Abby and her team wait to strike, not remotely comprehending the scope or true intent of the wily Cyrus. Meanwhile, in London, Magnus (Billy Magnussen), another Cyrus accomplice, springs into action.

A Change of Pace for Kevin Hart

Lift

Release Date January 12, 2024

Rating PG-13

Pros

• A diverse and charming ensemble cast is highly watchable.
• Kevin Hart gives a suave and hip lead dramatic performance.

Cons

• An overly familiar heist thriller that’s The Italian Job in the sky.
• The main villain is surprisingly bland and superfluous.

Days later, a confounded and furious Abby wonders how Cyrus escaped her clutches in Venice. She’s summoned to her superior’s office for a stunning briefing. Huxley (Sam Worthington) informs her that one of the world’s most dangerous men, Jorgensen (Jean Reno), has hired a terrorist group to commit deadly infrastructure cyberattacks. He’ll pay them $500 million dollars in gold bricks, which are to be transported on a Swiss airline flight to Zurich. Interpol cannot allow that transaction to take place. The gold must somehow be stolen under impenetrable security en route. Interpol is willing to give Cyrus and his team a deal if they can execute an impossible heist.

Hart has made an A-list career of playing the sidekick and comic relief with a generally goofy disposition. He’s branched out in recent years to show his dramatic range. Lift presents a welcome evolution to Hart’s craft by portraying a lead audiences wouldn’t expect. Many would expect someone like George Clooney or Daniel Craig in the lead role here. Hart doesn’t pop into your mind as a debonair art bandit, but he does a solid job. There’s never a point where he’s not believable as Cyrus. The narrative falls completely apart otherwise. But Hart holds his own, and you root for him to succeed.

Related: Best Kevin Hart Movies, Ranked

F. Gary Gray (Friday, Be Cool, The Fate of the Furious) knows how to manage a large ensemble cast in big action set pieces. The plot unfolds with each of Cyrus’ cohorts doing a specific part depending on their area of expertise. Think of it as Ocean’s Eleven on a plane. It’s a symphony of larceny while Cyrus and Abby distract the baddies. The plan is bonkers crazy with more gadgets than a Bond film. It looks pretty awesome as complications arise, and the gang is forced to improvise. A brawl in the aisles gets added flavor as everyone tumbles like NASA’s infamous vomit comet that simulates zero gravity.

A Likable Ensemble

Lift gets a few chuckles as Hart passes the comedic baton primarily to D’Onofrio and Magnussen. Their antics keep the humor flowing as the women in the film prove to be formidable allies. They do the heavy lifting, bad pun intended, while the men kind of bumble about. Hart and Mbatha-Raw have a palpable chemistry that strikes the right tone for their relationship. Both characters are smitten but firmly entrenched on opposite sides of the law. You’ll have to watch to find out if that calculus changes and love blooms again.

RELATED: Kevin Hart and Lift’s Producer Discuss Their Blockbuster Netflix Heist Film

Jean Reno, a pillar of French cinema and Hollywood stalwart, is strangely not threatening as a villain who would murder thousands without batting an eye. He has a few ruthless moments but feels inconsequential compared to his dastardly description. That’s a shame because Reno has the chops to be diabolical. His part may have been truncated in post-production to keep the film’s lighter tone. But whatever the reason, Reno isn’t given much to do. The equally ubiquitous Burn Gorman serves as his head minion. At least he gets a few punches and bullets to add a hint of actual danger.

Lift has few real surprises but definitely works as popcorn entertainment. The globetrotting exotic locales, narrow escapes, snappy comebacks, and rollercoaster romance are never dull. There’s nothing truly exceptional to praise, but you have to respect Hart for evolving as an actor.

Lift is a production of Hartbeat, Genre Films, and 6th & Idaho Productions. It will be released on Jan. 12th, 2024 exclusively on Netflix.

Watch on Netflix

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