LIFT
Lighthearted Anti-Terrorist Heist Marred by Some Negative Content
What You Need To Know
LIFT is a new heist comedy on Netflix where Cyrus, the mastermind of a team of talented thieves, pulls off a job that makes them and a client very rich, but the mastermind overlooks that his ex-girlfriend, Abby, is a clever Interpol agent, who catches him and his friends.
However, Abby’s boss wants her to reach out to Cyrus in order to net a bigger fish whose potential for evil far outstretches Cyrus. In order to avoid serious jail time, Cyrus agrees to help but on the condition that Abby joins his team in carrying out the “lift” (heist) in question. Cyrus convinces his crew to help Interpol stop a man funding international terrorism. He sets out with the intention of clearing their slates, stopping evil, reconnecting with his ex-girlfriend, and possibly making a fortune on the side. Can Cyrus and his team successfully stop the terrorist?
As in many heist movies that are truly worth watching, the main characters, while rogues engaging in illegal actions, are shown to ultimately have hearts of gold. In this respect, LIFT takes many cues from TNT’s excellent Robin Hood series, LEVERAGE (2008-2012) and ends up being the polar opposite of 2023’s nihilistic Netflix heist series, KALEIDOSCOPE (January, 2023). This is a very good thing. So, although there’s really nothing new to note here, it’s gratifying to see Kevin Hart, known for his usual work in crude comedies, pull off a more serious role well while providing some laughs. Though not award winning, the movie’s cinematography, story and supporting cast are serviceable, steady and occasionally bright. Cyrus describes his team as follows: “We rescue works of art from undeserving buyers.” This does turn out to be the case, and LIFT is a light-hearted and fun movie experience that’s uplifting rather than a downer. Netflix and Kevin Hart’s company, Hartbeat, should learn from this. Uplifting adventure beats TV-MA crassness and convoluted nihilism any day.
LIFT has a mixture of biblical morality and Romanticism. Cyrus and his crew are a morally-minded and conscientious Robin Hood troop, choosing to do the right thing in the face of great danger. They function as a surrogate family for each other and take Abby into their confidence fairly smoothly. The Romantic elements show up in that the gang’s whole part in the affair is motivated by them having been caught in an earlier heist. Also, Cyrus is obviously interested in rekindling a romantic relationship with Abby. That said, this popcorn crunching con job is clearly more biblically founded and family-friendly than other recent heist movies. However, the gang’s hearts of gold are somewhat undermined by some deceitful behavior shown in a positive light.
MOVIEGUIDE® advises strong or extreme for LIFT, due to bouts of action violence, some deception depicted in a positive light, crude humor, and sporadic, but excessive foul language.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
The movie’s worldview is a mix of biblical morality and Romanticism about a gang of thieves who are a morally-minded and conscientious Robin Hood troop that chooses to do the right thing in the face of great danger and functions as a surrogate family for each other, with the Romantic elements showing up in the fact that the gang’s whole part in agreeing to help the authorities stop a terrorist is motivated by their having been caught in an earlier heist, and the gang’s leader is obviously interested in rekindling a romantic relationship with his ex-girlfriend who’s the female Interpol agent working with them, plus the gang’s hearts of gold are somewhat marred by their deceitful behavior, which is sometimes seen in a positive light
Foul Language
About 23 obscenities, one Jesus profanity and five light profanities
Violence
Strong and light action violence includes a man is abducted by thieves, but it turns out to be a ploy in a con job, a man is shown hanging upside down with blood on his head, a man with a knife, and a barking dog approach, a man tells the man with the knife to “feed the dog” (which implies a fatal attack on the man hanging upside down), a city is flooded by a terrorist organization, and it’s reported that 13 people have died, and the death toll is rising; a man who funds terrorism is shown conducting business several times, man and woman take on armed assailants on a plane where they engage in hand-to-hand combat, gunfire takes place (no one hit), characters are knocked unconscious with some bloody wounds, a man breaks another man’s nose, a man accidentally shoots his hand (a bit of blood shown), people fight hand-to-hand on a plane as it flips and spirals over and over tossing them about; a man is pushed out the door of a plane in flight and hits the wing as he’s flung to his death, a man shoots a woman in the leg and then shoots her again point blank in the head (no impact or blood shown)
Sex
A woman acts as if she’s having sexual relations in a plane bathroom to carry off a part of a heist moaning and asking for more (no sex actually takes place), a man and woman kiss passionately in two scenes, one character has a plane with retractable stripper poles, and several miscellaneous sexual references occur
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
Party drinking where people get drunk and have hangovers the next day
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
People smoke cigars at a party, but there are no drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
A gang of thieves is caught by Interpol, but they agree to risk their lives and help Interpol stop a man financing terrorists in exchange for no prison sentence, and some lying and deceit occur during the heist sting that’s designed to stop the villain.
