The similarities between one of India’s most iconic stars and one of the world’s most recognized OTT platforms are indeed striking. Both entities possess a knack for turning everything they touch into profitable ventures. In Netflix’s recent release, “Lift” (2024), Kevin Hart takes the spotlight as the central character. When tasked with presenting a standup comedian like Ethan Hunt, it is crucial to consider the overarching goal. If the intention was to create spoof material, the casting choice of Kevin Hart couldn’t have been more fitting.
However, given the investment in a more serious narrative, questions arise regarding the initial rationale behind this casting decision. Anyway, for a thorough examination of these concerns, let me refer you to the review of this film. Here, our focus is on delving into the plot and its conclusion, which, unfortunately, also falls short of expectations. Spoilers Ahead.
Lift (2024) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with Cyrus, along with his team, trying to steal from two places at the same time. In Venice, Cyrus outbids everyone else to buy a modern NFT and signals his team-mate Mi-Sun to hack into the system. Mi-Sun breaches the system, which creates chaos that leads to another stealing in the London House, where Magnus uses the opportunity to grab a Van Gogh painting. Since both these auctions were connected, this breach helped both Cyrus and Magnus to conduct the thefts and walk away.
However, while they are trying to bring in the NFT artist, N8, Agent Abby Gladwell pursues them. Abby and Cyrus have a history in the past which does not stop Abby from doing her best to catch Cyrus. Anyway, they manage to escape, and later, the artist is told that they have not actually kidnapped him. Instead, they are waiting for his art to hit a commencing price in the market. Since the artist has been kidnapped, the price of his art will eventually increase, and as planned, it definitely touches unprecedented value soon in the market.
Why does the Interpol seek Cyrus’ help?
Agent Abby has set up everything against Cyrus, and just when she is about to lead the mission to catch him, her superior, Commander Huxley, tells her about a billionaire banker named Lars Jorgensen. Lars is planning a terrorist activity where hundreds of thousands of people will face severe consequences, and their loss will be profitable for him. Interpol is trying to stop this from happening. So what do they plan? They try to stop Lars’ payment to the Leviathans, who will do the job on behalf of him. Lars will pay them in gold bars, and Huxley wants Abby to talk to Cyrus and his team so that they can steal the Gold and give it to Interpol.
Abby, after a lot of fights with Huxley, goes to talk to Abby and shares the idea of stealing gold from Lars. Abby knows the risks involved in this, as Lars is not the kind of person you wanna mess with. But, since he has a weak point for Abby and this mission will perhaps save millions of lives, Cyrus agrees to talk to his team. However, he insists Abby be a part of the team during this mission as it will help the team work with more motivation. Anyway, when Cyrus briefs the mission to his team, his team comes with a different mindset as some agree to do it, and some oppose the idea of working alongside Interpol. But somehow, they all come together after a while and start planning for the heist.
How do Cyrus and His Crew plan to Steal the Gold?
The crew decides to pull off a daring gold heist while the airplane is in mid-air. To make it happen, they secure a private jet with Camila as the pilot. The plan involves flying directly beneath the targeted airliner while Mi-Sun manipulates the radar signals to maintain the appearance of the plane staying on course. Meanwhile, the crew diverts the airliner to a private airfield. Once there, Magnus cracks the safe, neutralizes Jorgenson’s henchmen, and extracts the gold using the private jet.
However, their timeline faces troubles when Jorgenson discovers a mole in his organization, prompting him to accelerate the gold delivery date. Despite the unexpected challenge, the crew manages to prepare in time. They successfully divert the plane. However, Jorgenson’s henchmen attempt a hijack, resulting in a crash landing. Magnus escapes on the ground while Abby, Cyrus, and Camila are captured. The three, along with the stolen gold, are taken aboard the private jet, heading towards Jorgenson’s estate in Tuscany.
How does Cyrus expose Lars to the Police?
To stop the gold from reaching Lars, Huxley orders NATO to shoot down the plane. Harry, the crew’s contact at air traffic control, teams up with Camila to alert the pilots about hostages onboard, making them stand down. A clash between the crew and Lars’ henchmen causes the jet to crash on Jorgenson’s villa grounds. Jorgenson captures Abby, Cyrus, and Camila at gunpoint. After Leviathan’s representative threatens him, Lars executes them.
The Carabinieri arrive, and Cyrus uses N8’s NFT tech to show them a recording of Jorgenson’s crime. Lars gets arrested, and Abby resigns from Interpol. She hears that it was not Huxley who pulled off the NATO jets. Instead, he is the one who wants them dead before Lars gets his gold. Knowing all of this, Abby is too disgusted with her side of the team as she decides to join Cyrus after punching Huxley for authorizing the NATO jets.
Lift (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Cyrus and his team Steal the Gold?
Several weeks after the heist on the plane, Cyrus shares a secret with Abby. He discloses the fact that the crew cleverly took the gold shipment, swapping it with iron bars coated in gold paint. So, basically, they right now have all the Gold bars, and Interpol has nothing but the iron bars in their possession. The team meets for the first time after the heist. They have gathered at a point where the shipment of gold is kept.
Cyrus is given the honor of successfully retrieving their loot, which he passes on to the recently recruited Abby. Abby taps on the button, and the whole shipment literally pops up from the middle of a lake. Seeing the shipment, everyone from the team joyfully commemorates their achievement, cheering the success and welcoming their newest member, Abby. Meanwhile, Cyrus and Abby reignite their romantic connection, which was once lost.
