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Lift (2024) is a glossy Netflix heist adventure about stealing $500 million in gold from an aircraft at 40,000 feet. F. Gary Gray supplies polished action and international scale, but the movie’s formulaic writing means its outrageous premise is more memorable than its characters or plot.
Lift (2024) is an accessible but formulaic Netflix heist movie built around a strong commercial hook: an international crew must steal $500 million in gold from a vault aboard a passenger aircraft flying at 40,000 feet. Directed by F. Gary Gray and led by Kevin Hart, the film has polished locations, a large ensemble, and several energetic action sequences. Its weakness is that the screenplay rarely matches the ingenuity of its premise.
The result is best understood as undemanding streaming entertainment rather than a realistic crime thriller or a major reinvention of the heist genre. Viewers looking for a fast, glossy team adventure may find enough to enjoy; those expecting intricate plotting, memorable character development, or convincing criminal logistics are more likely to be disappointed.
What is Lift about?
The film follows Cyrus Whitaker, an accomplished international thief who leads a highly specialized crew. The story opens with a robbery at an art auction in Venice before expanding into a much larger operation involving gold, international finance, terrorism, and Interpol.
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Interpol agent Abby Gladwell has been pursuing Cyrus and knows how he operates. She eventually becomes involved in recruiting and managing him for a mission designed to stop a terrorist attack. The unusual target is not a bank or a fortified underground vault: Cyrus and his team must take a $500 million gold shipment from an aircraft while it is in flight.
That setup gives Lift its clearest identity. The movie combines a conventional “one last job” structure with airborne mechanics, disguises, electronic manipulation, aircraft engineering, international locations, and a crew whose members each have a different technical specialty. It is intentionally closer to a globe-trotting action adventure than to a methodical crime procedural.
Cast and characters
| Actor | Character | Role in the film |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Hart | Cyrus Whitaker | The crew’s mastermind and an experienced thief recruited for a final operation. |
| Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Abby Gladwell | An Interpol agent who knows Cyrus’s methods and becomes responsible for bringing the team into the mission. |
| Vincent D’Onofrio | Denton | A master of disguise and one of Cyrus’s closest collaborators. |
| Úrsula Corberó | Camila | A member of the international heist crew. |
| Billy Magnussen | Magnus | The safecracker, whose technical ability is matched by his genial, wisecracking personality. |
| Yun Jee Kim | Mi-Sun | The team’s electronics specialist. |
| Viveik Kalra | Luc | The crew’s engineer. |
| Jacob Batalon | N8 | A mysterious digital artist who appears early in the story. |
| Jean Reno | Lars Jorgensen | An investment banker whose respectable public identity conceals his position as the principal financial antagonist and owner of the gold shipment. |
| Sam Worthington | Dennis Huxley | Abby’s Interpol boss, who helps persuade her to involve Cyrus and his team. |
Netflix presented Cyrus as a more action-oriented and dramatic role for Kevin Hart than the comic parts with which he is most commonly associated. That change is central to the film’s appeal, but it also creates one of its tonal problems. Hart plays Cyrus as controlled, suave, and almost constantly competent, while much of the audience’s familiarity with him comes from a faster, more openly comic persona. The performance is not without charm, but the transition does not always feel natural.
Who directed Lift?
Lift was directed by F. Gary Gray, whose earlier credits include Set It Off, The Italian Job, Straight Outta Compton, and The Fate of the Furious. His background explains the film’s emphasis on movement, scale, stylish locations, and set-piece action.
Daniel Kunka is credited as the writer, while Rotten Tomatoes lists Jeremy Doner and Kunka as screenwriters. The producers include Audrey Chon, Kevin Hart, Adam Kassan, Simon Kinberg, Matt Reeves, and Bryan Smiley. HartBeat Productions, 6th & Idaho Productions, and Genre Pictures are listed among the production companies, with Netflix as distributor.
Rank #2
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How good is Lift?
The film’s most effective element is its premise. A midair gold robbery immediately creates practical problems that a standard bank heist would not: the crew must deal with altitude, flight schedules, security systems, limited room to maneuver, the aircraft’s mechanics, and the need to conceal the operation from passengers and authorities. The international crew also gives the movie a clear structure, with every specialist available for a particular stage of the plan.
Gray handles the action with energy, particularly during the Venice canal chase and the larger airborne operation. The international settings and polished production design give the movie the visual surface of a high-budget spy adventure. The opening art-auction robbery efficiently establishes Cyrus’s world and the film’s preference for stylish deception over grim realism.
However, the screenplay tends to treat ingenuity as a substitute for character development. The crew members have recognizable functions and personalities, but many remain closer to heist archetypes than fully developed people. The story also moves rapidly between reversals, disguises, technological tricks, and explanations, sometimes making the plot feel assembled from familiar genre components rather than driven by difficult choices.
That is why the critical response was substantially weaker than the film’s audience reach. Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 30% Tomatometer score from 71 critics and a 33% audience score from more than 1,000 ratings at the time covered by the research. Those scores can change as additional reviews and audience ratings are added. The critics’ consensus described the film as potentially serviceable for viewers seeking undemanding streaming entertainment, while objecting to its thin characters and formulaic, haphazard story.
A similar assessment came from The Guardian, which regarded Lift as a glossy but routine Netflix action production. Its review credited Gray’s handling of energetic sequences, especially the Venice chase, but questioned whether Hart’s established comic image fits the role of a suave, hyper-competent thief.
Rank #3
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Is Lift realistic?
No—not in the sense of a realistic crime procedural. The film uses real-world institutions, aircraft, financial systems, and engineering as the framework for a heightened adventure. Its central operation is designed to be exciting and visually legible, not to serve as a detailed manual for how an aircraft-based gold robbery could actually be carried out.
That distinction matters when setting expectations. The movie’s pleasures come from the fantasy of the operation: the specialized crew, elaborate disguises, last-second escapes, international travel, and constant movement between legitimate and criminal identities. Its plausibility becomes less important if it is approached as a slick action caper, but more difficult to overlook if judged as a serious thriller.
Release date and where to watch
Lift was released on January 12, 2024. Netflix was its principal distribution platform, and the title was also listed with a limited theatrical and streaming release in Rotten Tomatoes’ records. Netflix’s title listing identifies it as available to stream and download for offline viewing in the relevant catalog context.
Lift is available to stream on Netflix, but viewers should check their local catalog before subscribing or planning a watch. Netflix availability, audio tracks, subtitles, download options, and release status can vary by country.
How many people watched Lift?
Netflix’s official first-half-2024 engagement report listed approximately 129 million views for Lift between January and June 2024. Netflix placed it among the leading action-and-adventure films of that period, alongside Damsel.
Rank #4
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That figure supports calling Lift a major Netflix audience performer, but it should not be described as a box-office hit. The film was primarily a Netflix release rather than a conventional wide theatrical production.
Netflix defines a view by dividing total hours watched by a title’s runtime. The company’s reporting also uses different measurement windows depending on when a title was released; completed titles are generally assessed over their first 91 days, while titles released during a reporting period may be measured over a shorter period. An earlier investor disclosure listed Lift at 113.0 million views in an initial snapshot, while the later January–June report listed approximately 129 million. Those numbers reflect different reporting dates and windows rather than necessarily conflicting totals.
Nor does the view count establish unique viewers, completion rate, profitability, or audience satisfaction. It measures viewing engagement under Netflix’s stated methodology.
What genre is Lift?
Lift is an action-comedy crime film with elements of adventure and the ensemble-heist genre. Netflix categorizes it as action, crime, comedy, and adventure, while Rotten Tomatoes lists action, comedy, crime, and drama. Its structure draws on familiar luxury-heist and spy-action formulas, but its aircraft setting gives those formulas a distinctive central gimmick.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Lift worth watching?
Watch it if you want:
- a fast, polished action movie that does not require much preparation;
- a large international ensemble with clearly defined heist specialties;
- stylized locations, disguises, technology, and an airborne robbery premise;
- a Kevin Hart performance that leans more toward action leadership than broad comedy; or
- a straightforward Netflix movie for a casual evening.
Lower your expectations if you want:
- a technically rigorous account of aviation or criminal investigation;
- deeply developed crew members and complex emotional stakes;
- a heist plot that substantially reinvents the genre; or
- the consistently broad comic energy associated with Hart’s most familiar roles.
The fairest verdict is that Lift delivers the package promised by its trailer: recognizable stars, international action, a high-concept theft, and an easy-to-follow team dynamic. It does not fully capitalize on that package. The premise is more inventive than the writing, and the movie’s audience scale is a better measure of its convenience and broad appeal than of its artistic quality.
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Does Lift have a sequel?
The research available for this article establishes the 2024 feature and its release, cast, production, audience performance, and reception. It does not verify a sequel announcement, so readers should not treat the film as part of a confirmed ongoing series based on this article alone.
Official merchandise
No Lift-specific DVD, Blu-ray, 4K release, book, manual, or Amazon collectible was verified in the research. Netflix does operate an official shop with selected licensed products, and licensed Netflix merchandise may also appear through major retailers, but no title-specific Lift item was established here. Generic “spy gadgets,” heist tools, or unrelated Kevin Hart merchandise would not be an appropriate substitute.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lift (2024) about?
Lift is a 2024 Netflix action-comedy crime film directed by F. Gary Gray. It follows professional thief Cyrus Whitaker and his international crew as they attempt to steal $500 million in gold from a vault aboard an aircraft flying at 40,000 feet.
Where can I watch Lift (2024)?
Lift was released on Netflix on January 12, 2024. Availability, subtitles, audio options, and downloads can vary by country, so viewers should check their local Netflix catalog.
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Yes, but it is intentionally heightened rather than a realistic crime procedural. The film uses aircraft mechanics, technology, disguises, and financial systems to support an action-adventure fantasy.
Who stars in Lift?
The main cast includes Kevin Hart as Cyrus Whitaker, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Abby Gladwell, Vincent D’Onofrio as Denton, Úrsula Corberó as Camila, Billy Magnussen as Magnus, Jean Reno as Lars Jorgensen, and Sam Worthington as Dennis Huxley.
How successful was Lift on Netflix?
Netflix’s first-half-2024 engagement report listed approximately 129 million views for Lift between January and June 2024. Netflix’s view metric is based on hours viewed divided by runtime and does not equal unique viewers or profitability.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Lift is a glossy, fast-moving Netflix heist adventure whose airborne gold-robbery premise is stronger than its formulaic screenplay. It is a reasonable choice for undemanding action entertainment, but not a sophisticated or especially realistic crime thriller.
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