Kevin Hart Delivers Disappointing Netflix Heist Movie

We know exactly what “Lift” means for its lead star and producer Kevin Hart. The Netflix heist film means Hart is tripling down on his action comedy genre films following “The Man from Toronto” while simultaneously deepening his ongoing production relationship with the streamer post-“True Story.” But does that make “Lift” any more than just a stepping stone in mogul Hart’s franchises? And what does “Lift” mean for its actual audience?

Much like Adam Sandler’s “Murder Mystery” movies, which seems to share the same mid-2000s flashy overexposed cinematography as “Lift,” it’s difficult to think of the “film” as anything other than a paycheck for its lead star.

Hart plays criminal boss Cyrus, who leads a crew (all heist movies need a crew) of specialized thieves who “lift” internationally renowned goods. Case in point: the team operates a series of scams to isolate Bansky-esque digital artist NB (Jacob Batalon), who is auctioning off select works for tens of millions of dollars in Venice. By kidnapping NB and botching the auction, NB’s pieces triple in price, and everyone gets a whole lot richer. This is all explained by Cyrus aboard his yacht, with NB nodding in awe and disbelief at Cyrus’ “genius.”

Oh, and the aforementioned crew is introduced by way of freeze frames and quippy titles, with Cyrus’ safecracker Magnus (Billy Magnussen) reduced to a series of thumbs ups and “oh yeah, man!”s. Ursula…