Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: An expert thief and his Interpol agent ex-girlfriend team up to steal $500 million in gold bullion being transported on an A380 passenger flight.
Review: The heist movie is a genre all onto itself and within that genre there's always the suave, charismatic and cocky leading men who, criminal or not, make you root for them. Robert Redford and Paul Newman in The Sting, Pierce Bronsan in The Thomas Crown Affair and George Clooney in the Ocean's 11 movies are all examples of this. So, when a name like comedian Kevin Hart pops up as a master thief and leader of a top-notch heist crew you have to wonder, could the funny man pull off such a tall (no pun intended I swear) order? The short answer (dammit, I did it again!) is not really.
Guy in a creepy Eyes Wide Shut mask? I don't know what you're talking about
In Lift, Hart plays international master thief Cyrus, elusive as he is bold, Cyrus specifically steals artwork of all types from those he deems unworthy of owning them. His team consists of hacker Mi-Sun (Kim Yoon-ji), pilot Camila (Ursula Corbero), safecracker Magnus (Billy Magnussen), engineer Luke (Viveik Kalra) and master of disguise (kind-of) Denton played by The Kingpin himself, Vincent D'Onofrio. While the names of these actors may not be instantly recognizable, Netflix viewers will probably remember them from various series and movies as it's a veritable who's-who of international actors.
More easily recognisable would be Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Black Mirror, Loki) as Abby, the Interpol agent tasked with capturing Cyrus and Sam Worthington as Abby's boss Huxley. Jean Reno also makes an appearance here as main antagonist and the crew's target Jorgenson, a banker and terrorist, as they set out to steal 500 million dollars in gold bars that Jorgenson plans to use for nefarious reasons.
I'm not Mr Pink; I'm Mr Brown
As usual for these types of movies, Netflix spends the big bucks as the story takes place in multiple international locations and the visuals are top-notch. I just wish I could say the same for the uninspired action sequences, the underdeveloped characters and the narrative. Apart from a fun mid-air fight sequence that leads to the possibility of their plane being shot down, there are no standout moments to really talk about here. And, besides some throwaway backstories, we never truly get to know Cyrus' team. As with every heist movie there's a "clever" twist thrown in but it's so predictable and so lazily executed, you won't care one way or the other. And then there's Kevin Hart.
Poor man, you could tell he was trying his best to prove he didn't need to be over the top or ridiculous to pull off a role. And to his credit, Cyrus is a likeable guy and a person you believe would be well-loved by his crew. What he couldn't pull off though was the idea he could lead such a team. Hart holds back so much of his natural energy; he acts as if he was medicated for the entire runtime. The one positive I can give is his chemistry with Gugu Mbatha-Raw was believable, if not a bit tepid. Again, I think if he had let himself have a bit more fun with the part, he could've made Cyrus a memorable leading man.
Aren't you a little short for a heist leader?
Now that I think of it, the whole movie feels too restrained. It's a fun premise for a heist movie that played things too safe and ends up as just another middling movie you'll probably watch once out of curiosity and then instantly forget. It's a shame really, but here's hoping Hart gives it another go around. Many comedic actors have proven they are capable of much more and, given the right material, and I don't see why he can't do so as well.
Sommer's Score: 6 out of 10
And you can catch more heist film reviews below:
THE VAULT IS A TIGHT AND TENSION-FILLED HEIST FLICK
RED NOTICE STAR TRIO LIFT'S NETFLIX HEIST FLICK
WRATH OF MAN IS A RETURN TO FORM FOR RITCHIE, STATHAM
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More
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