Quick Facts
| Title | Lift |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Crime (Heist) |
| Director | F. Gary Gray |
| Writer | Daniel Kunka |
| Composer | Dominic Lewis and Guillaume Roussel |
| Music Supervisor | Gabe Hilfer |
| Starring | Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, Sam Worthington |
| Release Date | January 12, 2024 (Netflix) |
| Runtime | 107 minutes |
| Where to Watch | Netflix |
Lift is a 2024 American heist comedy directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Daniel Kunka. The film premiered on Netflix on January 12, 2024, after its original August 2023 release date was pushed back because of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. It stars Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, and Sam Worthington.
What Is Lift About?
Official Synopsis: An international heist crew led by master thief Cyrus Whitaker teams up with his ex-girlfriend, an Interpol agent, to pull off the ultimate con: stealing half a billion dollars in gold bullion from a vault aboard a passenger airliner, mid-flight. (From Wikipedia)
The cast includes: Kevin Hart as Cyrus Whitaker, the crew’s leader; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Abby Gladwell, an Interpol agent and Cyrus’s former partner; Vincent D’Onofrio as Denton, an inside man and master of disguise; Úrsula Corberó as Camila, the crew’s pilot; Billy Magnussen as Magnus, a safecracker; Jacob Batalon as N8, an NFT artist; Jean Reno as Lars Jorgensen, the film’s antagonist; and Sam Worthington as Huxley, Abby’s boss at Interpol.
Who Composed the Lift Soundtrack?
- Dominic Lewis: Lewis co-composed the original score. His other film and TV credits include Bullet Train, The King’s Man, Violent Night, Money Monster, Peter Rabbit, and The Man in the High Castle.
- Guillaume Roussel: Roussel co-composed the score alongside Lewis. He has also scored 3 Days to Kill, Black Beauty, Expend4bles, and the TV series Happy!.
- Gabe Hilfer: Hilfer served as music supervisor, selecting the film’s licensed “needle-drop” songs. He has also supervised music for Ozark.
Netflix Music released the official score album digitally on January 12, 2024, the same day the film premiered. The 24-track album is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other major digital music services.
Lift Score Album Tracklist
- Opening
- In Position
- NFT
- Lift
- Venice Boat Chase
- Meet the Gang
- Market Manipulation
- Huxley Briefing
- Jorgensen
- Ball So Hard
- To Belgium
- Hearthrow
- Trouble in Bathroom
- Bathroom Kiss
- Magnus to Vault
- Safe Opens
- Cormac Takes Hostages
- Jorgensen and Leviathan
- Jet Battle
- Landing at Jorgensen
- Final Confrontation
- Arrested
- Took the Gold
- Hockney Resolution
Featured Songs (Needle Drops)
Alongside the original score, Lift features a soundtrack of licensed songs selected by music supervisor Gabe Hilfer, including:
- “Edamame” by bbno$ feat. Rich Brian
- “Players” (DJ Smallz 732 Remix) by Coi Leray
- “Pop Out” by Big Boogie
- “Chop Suey!” by System of a Down
- “777” by Silk Sonic
- “Southside Phantom” by Maker
- “Shirt” by SZA
- “Get Ready” by Lady Wray
- “Busy Earnin’” by Jungle
- “Move On Up” by Curtis Mayfield — plays over the film’s closing celebration and end credits
Reception
Lift released to mixed reviews from critics: Rotten Tomatoes lists a 30% approval rating from 70 critics, and Metacritic gives the film a score of 40/100, indicating “mixed or average” reviews. Critics generally found the story formulaic and thinly written, even as many called it a passable, mindless watch. Audiences responded far more warmly than critics: Netflix reported the film drew around 129 million views between its debut and the end of June 2024, making it the second most-watched Netflix film of the first half of 2024.
Related reading: Netflix Soundtracks | Movie Soundtracks
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the Lift soundtrack?
Dominic Lewis and Guillaume Roussel co-composed the original score for Lift. Netflix Music released the score album digitally on January 12, 2024.
When was Lift released, and is it still an upcoming film?
Lift is no longer upcoming — it premiered on Netflix on January 12, 2024. It was originally scheduled for August 25, 2023, but Netflix postponed it because of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Who stars in Lift?
Lift stars Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, and Sam Worthington.
What is the plot of Lift?
An international thief and his crew team up with an Interpol agent to steal half a billion dollars’ worth of gold bullion from a vault aboard a passenger airliner in mid-flight.
How was Lift received by critics and audiences?
Critics were mixed (30% on Rotten Tomatoes, 40/100 on Metacritic), but audiences turned out in huge numbers, with roughly 129 million views by the end of June 2024, making it one of Netflix’s most-watched films of the year.
