‘LIFT’

Few actors are as over-exposed as Kevin Hart who continues to show little knowledge of this concept as he stars in yet another assembly line action romp for Netflix. When sitting down for Lift you should know what to be in for as it falls in line visually, narratively, and structurally as all the other streaming movies currently flooding the market. The only difference with Lift is the combination of plug-and-play plot beats as here Hart plays the leader of a team of skilled thieves who attempt a heist on a moving plane. Simple enough for a by-the-numbers action movie and to be honest Lift does provide spots of entertainment.

Just not enough to keep this movie from feeling like another episode of some over-polished anthology series as opposed to feeling like an independent film with its own atmosphere. The attempts at humor and jokes do rouse a chuckle from time-to-time. The visuals are cool in places and the spots of adventure, as procedural as they are, do land glimpses of engagement.

The cast surrounding Hart isn’t all bad either. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Worthington, and Vincent D’Onofrio are all solid additions for their roles. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say they are able to elevate this recycled material because they’ve all been better in other films. Hart on the other hand is his usual self. He tries to play the role as straight as possible but when you aren’t a character actor, or believable as an action star, the result feels like Hart playing a parody of his own role.

Lift goes through the motions of global locale changes, expositional plot building, and basic character arcs. You can easily predict where this one will go. There are no stakes, nor concern for the characters who feel like players from daytime television. All resulting in a film you essentially forget as you watch. There isn’t really anything inspiring about Lift. It brings nothing really new to the table and for as comical as Keving Hart can be, the action genre isn’t his bag. Lift is a film you can watch while cleaning out your inbox, or organizing the apps on your phone, but it’s far from intriguing enough to devote your full attention to in a life already short of time.

Grade: D+

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CAST: Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Magnussen, Yun Jee Kim, Ùrsula Coberó, Burn Gorman, Sam Worthington, Jean Reno, Jacob Batalon  DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray  WRITER: Daniel Kunka  DISTRIBUTOR: Netflix  RUNNING TIME: 104 minutes  RATING: PG-13 (For violence, action, suggestive material and some language)  YEAR: 2024  LANGUAGE: English  GENRE: Action/Comedy/Crime

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‘THE BEEKEEPER’

Jason Statham has had his share of hits but regardless his career feels a bit underwhelming at this point. With The Beekeeper it’s nice to see him step into a smaller scale, and more traditional action flick instead of his appearances in the over-the-top Fast and Furious or Meg entries in recent years. Statham has an undeniable onscreen charisma. He feels just enough like an ‘everyman’ yet he also has the physicality for being an action hero. His choices in roles however have proven to be questionable at times. Much like his choice to take on The Beekeeper, a film that feels more fitting for an aging action star such as Liam Neeson.

Admittedly when The Beekeeper is in action mode there is fun to be found. The gunplay and violence are well-staged by David Ayers and of course Statham has the skill set for delivering visually appealing action. Such is the case with this film because despite the routineness of it all, Statham in the lead taking out the bad guys with his heavy fists and blunt kicks while dropping in violent gun and knife work is surprisingly effective. These scenes do get the energy up and later in the film is a delightfully brutal fight scene that serves as one of the movie’s most memorable moments.

The story and the generic plot however are the focal hindrances. This film is constructed from a blended collection of action movie tropes and with lackluster writing, none of the emotional undercurrents feel authentic. The writing is far too on-the-nose. The dialogue is extremely basic and the quiet moments between the action offer little intrigue through its collection of bland and over compensated performances. Statham included. Shocking though, when this film is attempting to be serious, and committing relentlessly to its beekeeping theme there is an unintentional humor that develops and lasts throughout the runtime as the bee lingo never lets up and only gets more ridiculous.

Overall, The Beekeeper is far from a great film. Its foundations are built on toothpicks and it’s really nothing more than a B-action flick with a star that may not realize he’s only a couple movies away from being a straight-to-video action star. Spots of action are enjoyable, and the laughs birthed from the cheesiness of this plot, however, are shockingly worth a watch, not to be compelled, but to be entertained on a purely guilty-pleasure level.

Grade: C-

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CAST: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Jeremy Irons, David Witts, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, Josh Hutcherson, Taylor James, Michael Epp  DIRECTOR: David Ayer  WRITER: Kurt Wimmer  DISTRIBUTOR: Amazon MGM Studios  RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes  RATING: R (For strong violence, pervasive language, some sexual references and drug use)  YEAR: 2024  LANGUAGE: English  GENRE: Action/Thriller

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‘CULT KILLER’

Sometimes a film can bite off a little more than it can chew. Such is the case with Cult Killer, a film that is able to build a foreboding atmosphere to complement its concept. But one that also attempts to explore a plot the writing is unable to properly layer. It isn’t a deal-breaker because there are spots of intrigue to be found with this film. It’s well-acted, with both Antonio Banderas and Alice Eve bringing humanity to their characters. Eve’s character has a wider emotional arc, and she pulls it off. While the charm of Banderas is able to come in and elevate a simple but effective character for the needs of fueling this plot.

The story kicks into motion relatively quickly and from there it lines the foundation of the friendship between the two leads through nicely timed flashbacks. So, the sprinkling of backdrop on this private investigator and his protege does maintain a compelling curiosity while watching. It’s a sweet bond between them and more than enough to ignite the emotional undercurrent of the progression. This is easily able to fuel the determination of Eve’s character to achieve her mission, but this is also when the holes in the writing begin to show themselves.

The story pulls an admittedly well-timed misdirection as evidence is uncovered leading to something much larger at play. However, this is when the film attempts to justify the actions of certain individuals to redirect the progression and it doesn’t quite come together as smoothly as the writing attempts.

The exposition isn’t enough to simply shift the focus. It’s a bit forced. A little expedited. And this area of the film is where a riveting mental game of cat-and-mouse could have served as a potential wildcard behind the larger plot on display. This could have kept the appeal locked in more consistently. Because when Cult Killer is in motion it has the pieces to lure you in. Unfortunately, when the most important emotional beats of the plot fail to land with the intended impact, it softens the overall punch you need to be a successful psychological thriller.

Grade: C

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CAST: Alice Eve, Antonio Banderas, Shelley Hennig, Paul Reid, Kim DeLonghi  DIRECTOR: Jon Keeyes  WRITER: Charles Burnley  DISTRIBUTOR: Saban Films  RUNNING TIME:   RATING: R (For violent content, language and some sexual references)  YEAR: 2024 (US)  LANGUAGE: English  GENRE: Crime/Drama/Thriller

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Anthony J. Digioia II © 2024 SilverScreen Analysis

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