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Netflix has finally released the trailer for Lift. Starring ace comic actor Kevin Hart, the mid-air heist comedy is slated to hit the streamer on January 12, 2024. Produced by his Hartbeat Productions, Simon Kinberg's Genre Films, and Matt Reeves' 6th & Idaho Productions, Lift has quite a stellar star cast.
As per IMDb, the gist of the upcoming film reads:
“Follows a master thief and her ex-boyfriend who team up to steal $100 million in gold bullion being transported on a 777 passenger flight.”
The trailer, lasting 2:38 minutes, blurs the line between a summary and a spoiler, giving out almost the entire plot. This is Hart’s third collaboration with Netflix after Me Time and Fatherhood.
Lift trailer: Either Hart and his team steal the billions, or they go to jail
The trailer begins with a woman named Abby approaching Kevin Hart’s character, Cyrus Whitaker, and informing him that he and his group are being accused of several crimes, including identity fraud, money laundering, and the illegal transportation of stolen goods.
As she lays out the charges, the promotional clip introduces the other actors who eventually form the heist team. Abby offers him a deal: Steal half a billion in gold from a terrorist cell from a passenger airplane at 40,000ft or go to prison.
This sticky situation forces them to go ahead with the heist plan, as per what the trailer showed. In all probability, they complete the mission and then hang up their hats or plan how to steal the billions from the FBI. This speculation aligns with most films' common narrative dealing with the same or similar plot.
Aided by Elmo Tha I's Take What's Mine; the trailer is stylishly done, albeit the plot doesn’t seem unique. But let's find out the same when Lift premieres on Netflix early next year.
Lift-cast
As for the cast, apart from Hart, the movie stars:
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as FBI agent Abby
- Vincent D'Onofrio
- Úrsula Corberó
- Billy Magnussen
- Jacob Batalon
- Jean Reno
- Sam Worthington
- Paul Anderson
- Viveik Kalra
- Yun Jee Kim
- Burn Gorman
- Paul Anderson
F. Gary Gray, known for directing flicks like The Fate of the Furious (2017), The Italian Job (2003), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), and Straight Outta Compton (2015), is at the helm. Given the New York City-based filmmaker’s penchant for action films, it is expected that Lift will have some suave fight scenes if not anything else.
As per reports, principal photography (where the bulk of the shooting happens) was conducted in Italy and Northern Ireland from February to May 2022. The shooting schedule was set up at the Belfast's Harbour Studios in March. Further, sequences were filmed in Trieste on the Miramare Castle grounds in late May.
Meanwhile, apart from Lift, Hart's other upcoming projects include Borderlands, backed by Lionsgate Films, and Back on the Strip. While the former is in the post-production stage, Back on the Strip has completed everything and is gearing up for release. Borderlands is scheduled to premiere on August 9, 2024.
Initially planned for August 25, 2023, Lift arrives on Netflix on January 12, 2024. The delay in release was reportedly due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
