F. Gary Gray’s ‘Lift’ (Netflix) Non-Spoiler Review – A Comical Heist That Loses Some Of Its Loot

Netflix begins 2024 with yet another heist streaming title. Lift, written by Daniel Kunka and directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set It Off, The Italian Job, The Fate of the Furious, Straight Outta Compton), is an action crime-comedy starring Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in lead roles.

After seeing it twice over ahead of its release on the streaming platform, the film does feel as if a longer cut of it were to be the necessary option, and more so if it hit the movie theater market. While Gray has some neat direction and the cast roster is diverse enough, especially in terms of speaking roles, this heist film ultimately does not transcend the standards of the genre, avoiding having to elaborate on any complexities it may have and instead diving straight for clichés in some areas.

In this review, I will discuss F. Gary Gray’s Lift. As the title of this article suggests, there will be no spoilers present here!

Netflix’s Lift Logline

According to Netflix Media Center, here is the logline for Lift.

An international heist crew, led by Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart), races to lift $500 million in gold from a passenger plane at 40,000 feet.

Netflix Media Center

Discussion

Running just over an hour and a half, Lift plays out as more of a Netflix title than an F. Gary Gray film. There is enough detail to admire, from Mary Vernieu, Raylin Sabo, and the casting department’s roster of actors to production designer Dominic Watkins’s set pieces to music supervisor Gabe Hilfer’s song selections and composers Dominic Lewis and Guillaume Roussel’s scoring. The casting directors bring appealing faces into the crime game, each of the crew possessing a unique skill set useful for the conflict. Their ensemble has potential, with its main Black leads calling the shots, a Korean woman crafting tech for the group, and an Indian man also behind the scenes of the ruse.

The production designs, including the Venice location setting in the opening fourteen minutes and the crew’s hangar during the middle act, exhibit the minutiae of what the narrative has to offer. Watkins and the set team show off a chunk of their work in the auction room filled with masks and a luxurious crowd, a chase scene on waters of Italian canals, and the heist crew’s setup of what they aim to be their “lift”.

Hilfer has nice tracks for the playlist. SZA’s “Shirt” faintly plays as two separated lovers find their way back to each other, helping add that layer of the protagonists being lost. System of a Down’s “Chop Suey!” subtly highlights Magnus’s (Billy Magnussen) optimistic personality. Silk Sonic’s “777” is an interesting selection, highlighting the crew’s gamble at stealing, or rather “borrowing”, from an antagonistic banker. What also works in favor of the music is how it facilitates the fast pace of the plot progression. There are some moments where it, indeed, comes off as a heist film and not a generic one at that.

Issues with the Screenplay

Lift does fall flat with its flaws in narrative development and character background. Perhaps, it could be editor William Yeh and team’s truncation of the plot to result in a shorter runtime. It could also be the execution of Kunka’s script, including the visual effects elements displayed in the latter half of the movie. With only one other credit to his name—2009’s 12 Rounds—, Kunka struggles to deliver a remarkable plot to break boundaries through the actors and location settings.

On the surface, the story fails to be an example of “show, don’t tell”. Lift would be a much greater narrative if it were to shed more light on Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart) and Abby Gladwell’s (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) initial spark mere months before the actual opening of the film. Heist crew members Camila (Úrsula Corberó) and Mi-Sun (Yun Jee Kim) are also mentioned to have family that they haven’t kept in touch with in a while. Not only that but there could have been more to demonstrate Lars Jorgensen (Jean Reno) as the primary antagonist. Cormac (Burn Gorman) and other henchmen are allotted a bit more time to do his dirty work, and even then, none of these bad guys’ fates prove too satisfactory. Altogether, the lack of backstories prevents the overarching story from being a fulfilling ride.

Sometimes heist stories can be straightforward, and at other times, there tends to be a twist in things that isn’t showcased from the get-go. Twists in the heist genre don’t always have to involve betrayals and double-crossing. With Gray’s film, the conclusion should have gone one way or another instead of squeezing in room for the twist. It is almost as if the movie wanted to take the easy way out and not provide a grand build-up to the final scenes.

Art or Not Art?

There is an idea regarding modern art introduced in the movie’s opening act that produces awkward effects. In moments throughout the film, the storytellers toy around with the argument that “all art just depends on the artist”. Yet, when a non-fungible token (NFT) becomes a narrative device, it creates a peculiar atmosphere for itself. Jacob Batalon makes an appearance as a digital artist named N8, and for some reason, the subplot around the minor character paints him as some huge celebrity. In reality, this would never be the case with individuals who create “digital art”, which is not as valuable as some may believe. With the proper audience, this could be a good thing. However, it just does not strike me as a smart move.

Conversely, Lift disputes the case that nobody cares about art until it’s stolen. For a Netflix title, there is an irony when it comes to creative works being canceled or halted, thus being taken away from the hands of the public. What the movie neglects to acknowledge is that NFTs come from the digital sphere without much effort from physical human hands. This is why animation, paintings, and sculptures deserve wider credit for the expressive qualities they hold.

The Crew Behind Lift

Bernhard Jasper serves as the director of photography for the film. William Yeh (Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger and The Punisher, Nobody, HBO Max’s Raised by Wolves Season 2) is the editor.

Gabe Hilfer (Project X, Creed, Sausage Party, Luke Cage, Venom, Birds of Prey, Ozark and Don’t Look Up, The White Lotus, Hulu’s White Men Can’t Jump, Prime Video’s Invincible) serves as the music supervisor for the film. Dominic Lewis and Guillaume Roussel score the musical composition.

Forest Christenson and Jake Staley (Sweet Tooth, HBO’s The Last of Us) score additional music. Peter Myles and Richard Henderson are the music editors. Dan Pinder and Will Kaplan are the additional music editors.

Mary Vernieu and Raylin Sabo serve as the casting directors.

Nicola Chisholm is the UK casting director. Kôichirô “Ko” Iwagami is the Japan casting director. Rikiya Takano is the Japan casting associate.

Dominic Watkins serves as the production designer.

Nigel Pollock and Tom Reta are the supervising art directors. Til Frohlich, Christine McDonagh, Rob Carlisle, and John Merry are the art directors.

Susanna Codognato is the art director for the Italy unit. Vittoria Marazzi is the assistant art director for the Italy unit.

Antoinette Messam is the costume designer.

Pam Smyth is the hair & make-up designer. Katrina Doran, Sharon Watson, Alana Fraser, Michelle Maxwell, Eimer O’Hare, and Karen Hassan are the hair & make-up artists.

Christopher Barr is the stills photographer for the film. Stefano Montesi is the stills photographer for the Italy unit.

The Cast Behind Lift

Kevin Hart plays Cyrus, the boss of the heist crew. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Black Mirror: San Junipero, Disney+’s Loki) portrays Interpol Agent Abby Gladwell.

Vincent D’Onofrio (Law & Order, Daredevil, Disney+’s Hawkeye and Echo) plays Denton, the crew’s sort of master of disguise. Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods, Black Mirror: USS Callister, Made for Love) portrays Magnus, the crew’s safecracker.

Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist, Snake Eyes) portrays Camila, the crew’s pilot. Yun Jee Kim portrays Mi-Sun, the crew’s hacker.

Viveik Kalra plays Luc, the crew’s engineer.

Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar, Man on a Ledge, FX on Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven, Avatar: The Way of Water) plays Interpol Commander Dennis Huxley. Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional, Mission: Impossible, Da 5 Bloods) plays the main antagonist, Lars Jorgensen.

Jacob Batalon (Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man trilogy, SYFY’s Reginald the Vampire) plays a masked digital artist, N8.

Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) portrays Cormac, Jorgensen’s right-hand man. Paul Anderson plays Donal. David Proud plays Harry.

Oli Green plays a rich guy named Mollsen. Ross Anderson and Stefano Skalkotos play Ross and Stefano, respectively.

Martina Avogadri plays the Leviathan leader. Jess Liaudin plays Arthur Tigue, an informant for Interpol.

Caroline Loncq plays Sandra, an employee at the Brussels Air Traffic Control.

Samuel Jaye Paul serves as Kevin Hart’s stunt double.

Liva Rafidison serves as Mbatha-Raw’s stunt double.

Performances and Character Developments

Hollywood’s treatment of Asian representation has often dealt with placing them into silent roles. Films such as 2016’s Suicide Squad and television programs including Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy and Prime Video’s The Boys have given talent little-to-no line of dialogue, to grave disappointment. Yun Jee Kim’s beautiful portrayal of hacker Mi-Sun proves otherwise. The character is truly the brains of the operation, knowing how to get her team out of their situation when committing to the heist. There is a comical moment where she crafts a specific device for the group that somehow brings me back to Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. It sets off a montage sequence where viewers see the heist crew gradually gamble their lives away at the risk of a huge score.

Following her role as Baroness in the G.I. Joe film, Snake Eyes, and more prominently as Tokyo from Álex Pina’s television program, La casa de papel (or Money Heist), Corberó continues to show her worth as a team player. Unfortunately, Camila does not get her hands in all the action, and it is because those hands are usually behind a steering wheel. In the one moment where she does fight against the bad guys, it’s seen as one of the more positive points of the film. Mi-Sun and Camila are the products of the hair, makeup, and costuming teams delivering better aesthetics to the personalities of Lift.

Billy Magnussen’s Magnus represents the team’s patience as a piece of the puzzle. There is something about the actor playing a good guy that feels worthwhile here. His levity deserves greater recognition, especially since he is the first to be in favor of risk. The only downside is there just isn’t enough of him—doing what he does best—during the heists.

The Lover and the Fighter

Hart and Mbatha-Raw’s respective protagonists, Cyrus Whitaker and Abby Gladwell, are an interesting duo. Despite being known as a comedian, the more laughable aspects of Lift are lent to Magnus, leaving Whitaker to be the pathos of the team. Hart takes on a more serious role than most projects that I have seen him in before, but I do admire his willingness to tackle something new. In juxtaposition, Gladwell appears to represent the courage that the group needs, as opposed to the recklessness of their actions before she even enters the fray. She, Mi-Sun, and Camila are all evidence that women in action flicks are not just beautiful faces for the male gaze. I would argue that their roles contain a stronger purpose than those of the men in the film.

Final Thoughts on Lift

F. Gary Gray’s Lift isn’t such a bad film. What’s missing through unpolished visuals, underdeveloped character backgrounds, and an incomplete story with few to seldom pivotal narrative beats is gained in beautiful personalities, upbeat music, and some fascinating set pieces—I mean, the Belfast and Venice portions take the cake for me. If a sequel is to be greenlit, then I do hope that we, as an audience, get to learn more about each character on an individual level. For now, this Netflix title happens to be one that suffers from the curse of January releases.

3/5-stars

Lift streams via Netflix starting tonight, January 12th!

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