by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Who doesn’t like a good, old fashioned heist movie? There have been plenty of heist films, even going back as early as The Great Train Robbery. We love a roguish crew of criminals who show us a crazy and intricate plan to steal something of value. Even Rick and Morty helped many realize just how embedded in our pop culture heist films are, thanks to their “One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty” episode. But it is not just audiences who love these films, because plenty of filmmakers, including F. Gary Gray, have created some. And with Lift, Gray reimagined the beloved classic, The Italian Job,to show his passion.
Now, this new outing is not exactly what you call a “good, old fashioned heist film,” but it sure plays around with all the elements that make one. In this case, it unfortunately plays too closely and bland with those tropes and ideas. Where The Italian Job is a fun and sleek romp, Lift is a laborious journey, albeit sleekly directed with the style that Gray brings. The film leans too heavily on the tropes and expectations without having fun with the elements. Honestly, the only element it puts real effort into is its scale and using modern day special effects. Lift boasts plenty of spectacle, but lacks the elements that make people love heist films.
What are those elements that feel lacking? First off, a charismatic and roguish leader who pulls it all together. Kevin Hart does not bring enough charisma to his leading turn to make the audience care, and the screenplay does him zero favors. Even Mark Wahlberg is infinitely more likable and fun in The Italian Job,and that character is quite generic as well. Then you waste a strong actor like Gugu Mbatha-Raw on a nothing government agent who is stuck in a lifeless will-they-won’t-romance with the lead. The film could have been saved by a fun and engaging crew, but it just doesn’t have that either. Vincent D’Onofrio and Billy Magnussen have some fun here and there, but no one else really stands out. Even the antagonists feel paper thin, with great character actors like Jean Reno, Burn Gorman, and Paul Anderson adding very little. That is the biggest sin a film like this can make… making everyone so uninteresting.
Does the heist at least make things more interesting? Not really. Lift accomplishes something interesting, though: The heist is both convoluted and boringly obvious at the same time. There are too many moving pieces that are not interesting enough to keep the audience’s attention, but the actual job (stealing a bunch of gold) is boring and overdone. By the end, the story feels like a mess and completely uninteresting at the same time. The script is by far the film’s biggest weakness.
Even though Lift is a straight-to-Netflix affair, it feels way too long and drawn out for only 100 minutes. There are so many other better heist films out there (like Heat), and those which do interesting things with the genre (like Inception). Don’t put the team together and gather to watch this one.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
Lift is currently streaming on Netflix
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