1/5 stars
Looking to start 2024 with a bang, Netflix recruits superstar funnyman Kevin Hart to play a notorious art thief in the action-packed heist comedy Lift.
Under the direction of F. Gary Gray (The Fate of the Furious), and boasting an ensemble cast that includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jean Reno, and Vincent D’Onofrio, this globe-trotting thriller about a daring mid-air gold heist should have been a slam dunk.
The action opens in Venice, where the Robin Hood-esque Cyrus Whitaker (Hart) and his team snatch a multimillion-dollar NFT – an objet d’art as ephemeral and passé as the film itself – while simultaneously lifting a priceless Van Gogh from a gallery in London, all under the noses of Interpol.
Instead of arresting the gang, agent Abby Gladwell (Mbatha-Raw) is instructed by her boss (a ragged Sam Worthington) to recruit them.
In return for immunity and freedom, they must steal US$500 million worth of gold bullion belonging to master criminal Lars Jorgensen (an equally tired-looking Reno) as it is being flown across Europe to fund a terrorist operation.
Lift has a promising enough premise, one which should deliver exhilarating action beats and plentiful banter between Cyrus, his crew of mischievous oddballs, and Abby, with whom he shares a romantic past.
Regrettably, the problems start from the top – Hart is horribly miscast as Cyrus, a cool-headed master operator.
The motor-mouthed comedian excels at playing neurotic, inexperienced fish out of water. Throw that character into a high-stakes adventure, while partnered with an adversarial accomplice, and Hart would be a riot. As a clear-headed leader, however, he appears woefully out of his depth.
Rather than nurture a playful rapport, they stand around in idle silence as the plot is sluggishly shunted forward by Cyrus and Abby’s lifeless interplay.
The action, which unfolds primarily within the confines of a luxurious airliner, is similarly slapdash and uninspired. When things do move outdoors, the stunts are slathered in sloppy CGI’ little effort is made to engage with the gorgeous European locations.
By turns wasteful and weightless, Lift can barely find its way to the departure gate, let alone buckle up and take flight.
Lift is streaming on Netflix.