Lift Movie Review: Netflix’s New Heist Movie is an Enjoyable Action Film
Cast: Kevin Hart, Vincent D’Onofrio, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ursula Corberò, Sam Worthington
Director: F. Gary Gray
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars)
Heist movie lovers, this article is for you because Lift Movie has just arrived on Netflix, a new heist movie that you will love. A film full of action and fun with a stellar cast and shot in breathtaking locations, including Venice. For those who don’t know what heist films are, we’ll explain them to you right away: they are stories of “big shots”, that is, films that tell of incredible robberies with gangs of criminals grappling with the robbery of the century and the police hot on their heels. In recent years this genre of film, which has always existed, has undergone a surge in popularity after the success of Money Heist, a Netflix series that fully falls into this genre of story, and today, the streaming platform has decided to enrich its heist catalog with a new film: Lift Movie. Cursed by Netflix. The extremely popular streaming platform has been the unprecedented home in recent years of some of the freest and most acclaimed projects by masters of contemporary cinema (above all, Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuaròn, Guillermo del Toro, and Jane Campion), the maximum expression of artistic and complete creativity absence of productive ties of any kind.
The other side of the Netflix coin, however, lies in its very generous offer of cinema and TV of various genres, much of which is made up of products intended for the small screen of poor quality and mere entertainment. But what could be so bad about the pure popcorn movie? Nothing on paper, yet the increasingly cumbersome algorithmic function of the platform’s offering constantly churns out feature films and television series of serial and industrial invoice, all the same as themselves and the previous ones, but which at the same time please the “registered” tastes and preferences” of the millions of active Netflix users. F. Gary Gray’s film is exactly this. In our review of Lift Movie, we will explain better why the action movie starring Kevin Hart and a host of international performers is the reflection of a production strategy that is essentially poisonous and devoid of concrete entertainment bite, even the most vulgar one.
Lift Movie Review: The Story Plot
A master thief named Cyrus (Kevin Hart) is wooed by his ex-girlfriend Abby (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and the FBI to pull off an impossible heist with his international team on a 777-passenger flight from London to Zurich. It won’t be easy. This is the narrative incipit of the action comedy directed by F. Gary Gray for Netflix and arriving on the platform from Friday 12 January. The American director has already cut his teeth behind the camera with genre cinema, so much so that he has directed highly successful feature films including The Italian Job, Fast & Furious 8, Men In Black: International and ‘excellent Straight Outta Compton, inspired by a true story and which in 2015 was acclaimed by audiences and critics. With Lift Movie, however, the same glorious music is not repeated, sadly.
Because the new film behind the camera for the American filmmaker does not repeat the glories of the cinematographic legacy that in past years had provided him with the pass to enter Hollywood Olympus between a wink at action and one at comedy. The simplistic heist movie starring Kevin Hart (here also the executive producer of the project) and an international cast in which the Spanish Ursula Corberò (La Casa di Carta) also stands out does not pass the mark, does not entertain intelligently, does not engage its audience of reference, and does not rely on a solid entertainment script. Which for a feature film like this, is a mortal sin.
Lift Movie Review and Analysis
It is a film with an exceptional cast which sees the presence of actors of the caliber of Jean Reno but also stars who have become famous only in recent years such as Úrsula Corberó from Money Heist who is part of the cast together with Kevin Hart, Vincent D’Onofrio and many others. History? It is that of an international gang of robbers led by Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart) who tries to steal five hundred million dollars in gold from the passenger of a plane twelve thousand meters above the ground. Lots of adrenaline in this film, as well as irony but also a pinch of romance. What dominates the scene are the engaging dynamics between the members of a very close-knit group of thieves and a perfect plan to get hold of a large sum of money, all on a plane in flight.
Each character, from the good to the bad, who often exchange roles, is well constructed and functional to the story, becoming unique in a choral story that works precisely thanks to the different personalities of its characters, never suppressed for plot purposes and put together for a homogeneous and fair result. Everyone is indispensable in Lift Movie, even the most secondary characters, and they all add depth to the plot that makes the difference. The beauty of Lift Movie is not only that this film flows fluidly before our eyes, without making us weigh even a moment of its length, but that this story is in some ways familiar to us, reminding us of one of the most loved Netflix series of all time: Lupine, with little twists and disguises that give color and dynamism to the series but also a nice bit of lightness.
Lift Movie is not a masterpiece, but it is a very pleasant action film that will make you spend a couple of hours completely carefree and ready to cheer for a heterogeneous but perfect group of thieves made up of wacky guys who set goals bigger than themselves. To enrich the scene, then, there are the extraordinary locations of the film, many of which are Italian. Lift Movie opens with a series of enchanting shots of Venice which is the backdrop to the entire first part of the film. If you want light-heartedness, lots of action, and a well-written story then Lift Movie is the perfect film for you, whether you love heist movies or not. There’s a little bit of everything in Lift Movie, and on paper that’s not a bad thing. The history of action cinema is dotted with masters and students, with primordial models from which to draw inspiration and more or less successful replicas that have religiously followed in their footsteps.
The results may be mixed, but the quality of a good script, a genuinely entertaining and close-knit cast, and dynamic but never superficial direction are the fundamental ingredients for a good mix of adrenaline-pumping action and irony; both on the big and small screen. Relying on Netflix for the first time in his career, F. Gary Gray sinks his hands full into the dizzying action imagery of titles such as Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and the enormously successful Mission: Impossible saga, which he shares on several occasions narrative skeleton, situations and relationships between the various characters. Without ever getting close to any of these models, but at the same time without even paying homage to them with healthy intelligence and discretion. No, because in Lift Movie (based on an original screenplay written by Daniel Kunka), we decide to rest dangerously on the edge of the most dangerous precipice of entertainment cinema in recent years, characterized but also threatened by the brisk production of streaming platforms: that of the evil algorithm and its unpleasant artistic derivatives.
Because to make a film of pure entertainment in this way, serial, opaque, and devoid of any bite, it takes very little; and, sadly, Netflix entrusted such a hasty action project to an excellent craftsman like F. Gary Gray, who in the past had also directed titles of great interest and excellent narrative balance between very healthy adrenaline and playfulness on the set and among his interpreters. Alchemy of elements that are missing like hotcakes in Lift Movie, if it weren’t for the presence (more muted and in the shadows compared to Hart and Mbatha-Raw) of the dynamic supporting role Ursula Corberò from La Casa di Carta, and of the American veteran Vincent D ‘Onofrio. In the Netflix film, the latter plays the amusing role of Denton, a criminal and international fraud genius who will team up with the new Lupine played by Kevin Hart who has no charisma in front of the camera. A professional camouflage, who, depending on the job or the robbery to be carried out, always wears different features and clothing, always different names, multiple lives and characters. Testament to an acting talent, that of D’Onofrio, wasted in a project of this kind, but at the same time elevated during his playing time by an interpreter capable of every professional task entrusted to him.
These are ultimately the reasons why Lift Movie is yet another bad example of algorithmic cinema of the worst kind: in conclusion, the new action movie directed by F. Gary Gray for Netflix is the worst of the artistic thrusts of the streaming platform’s algorithm can offer: predictable, devoid of real irony, dull, derivative, with very little intelligence in the staging. Yet another example of disposable cinema that will set the record for views on the platform, only to very quickly fall into oblivion. But which, for better or worse, will generate sufficient economic income and justify the construction of dozens and dozens more feature films of stale entertainment intended for the small screen (!) of Netflix, in serial industrial production.
Lift Movie Review: The Last Words
The choice to create a film, in which a robbery takes place on a plane and mostly in flight, makes everything very original. Usually, we are used to places, banks, museums, etc. Thanks to this different choice, we managed to obtain a film that does not tire, that does not bore, and which, on the contrary, appears to be decidedly smooth and free of dead scenes. Even the locations chosen for filming are evocative, ranging from beautiful Venice to Tuscany, without forgetting Cortina. The new action movie directed by F. Gary Gray for Netflix is the worst the artistic thrusts of the streaming platform’s algorithm can offer predictable, devoid of real irony, dull, derivative, with very little intelligence in the staging. Yet another example of disposable cinema that will set the record for views on the platform, only to very quickly fall into oblivion.
Lift Movie Review: Netflix’s New Heist Movie is an Enjoyable Action Film - Filmyhype
Director: F. Gary Gray
Date Created: 2024-01-12 19:03
3
Pros
- Action Sequences: Critics commend the film's kinetic energy, particularly the mid-air heist aboard a 777 passenger plane. Imagine gold bars tumbling through the cabin as turbulence rocks the aircraft – pretty thrilling, right?
- Kevin Hart's Charisma: Hart's undeniable comedic charm shines through even in his more serious role as the mastermind thief. His banter with co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw adds some welcome levity to the high-stakes heist.
- Global Flair: The diverse cast and international settings elevate the film beyond a typical Hollywood heist caper. It's refreshing to see a heist crew that reflects the multicultural world we live in.
Cons
- Predictable Plot: The story doesn't stray far from the well-trodden path of heist movies. You might be able to guess the twists and turns before they even happen.
- Underdeveloped Characters: The supporting cast gets overshadowed by Hart and Mbatha-Raw, leaving their motivations and backstories largely unexplored. We're rooting for the crew, but we don't really get to know them.
- Lack of Originality: Some critics found the film derivative of other heist movies, lacking the fresh spark that could make it stand out.
