Tag: Jean Reno

LIFT (2024)

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Directed By: F Gary Gray 

Written By: Daniel Kunka 

Cinematography: Bernhard Jasper

Editor: William Yeh 

Cast: Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Worthington, Jean Reno, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Magnussen, Ursula Corbero, Yun Jee Kim, Vivek Kalra, Jacob Batalon, Burn Gorman, David Proud 

Follows a master thief and his Interpol Agent ex-girlriend who team up to steal $500 million in gold bullion being transported on an A380 passenger flight.

This film has everything going for it. A lot of great talent so it’s disappointing that it plays so basic. Already going into it you probably know how it’s going to end. Part of the fun is seeing how it gets there. But how it gets there is so predictable that it seems to lack pizzazz.

The film is ok it’s entertaining, but it never has any character or comes alive. As it plays like the typical Netflix action film with a big star at the center.

While it’s nice and fun to see Kevin Hart play the more Noble leader. As he tries to show range and be less comedic in this film. Which is admirable, He comes across as flavorless, and unexciting charisma isn’t there. Nor the laughs even though he’s not trying to get any this time. Though I will give him points for putting in an effort and trying to be an all-around movie star, unfortunately here he’s not that engaging. Where it feels like anyone could have played this role.

Even his romantic scenes with Gugu Mbatha Raw come across his bland. Not to mention she should be getting better roles than this.

It’s a sharing, especially as you have such wonderful actors throughout, who are never really given enough room to breathe other than their characters, expertise, and little hints of life.

Not to mention, you have F Gary Gray, a talented Director in his own right. Who seems with this barely lifeless action B-Movie. That while high concept still comes across as uninventive.

If you’re looking for something, entertaining that you’ll soon forget afterward, or just to have on in the background while you do other things this might be the movie for you. as this feels like a less stylistic and more calm Six Underground-type action film from Netflix again.

I can at least say this film isn’t too embarrassing for him. 

Grade: C

DIE HART (2022)

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Directed By: Eric Appel

Written By: Derek Kolstad

Cast: Kevin Hart, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Travolta, Josh Hartnett, Jean Reno, Brandon Quinn, Milana Vayntrub, Kenneth Trujilio

Kevin Hart – playing a version of himself – is on a death-defying quest to become an action star. And with a little help- he just might pull it off.

This is a movie that has been edited together from the episodes of the Roku series that Kevin Hart had for 1 season. You can easily tell when each episode begins and ends throughout the film. So it should be no surprise that the film is episodic.

The film is also really bad, as it tries to be meta which is really hard for it to work when you have recognizable actors like Josh Harnett play themselves but you have more recognizable John Travolta play a totally different character.

It also doesn’t help that Kevin Hart plays himself. The themes for his character are pretty much the same as most characters he plays in other films.

This film is bad, John Travolta seems to not only be over-acting but giving a career-worst performance so far, as he oddly seems to curse funny and have a kind of way of speaking that is ridiculous.

The only bright spots in the movie are Nathalie Emmanuel and Josh Hartnett playing himself. The action sequences are passable but never quite exciting or stunning and the film stays pretty much only using a few sets. So there isn’t much to look at.

I would only suggest this movie if you are a Kevin Hart completist. Though at this point he has so many movies coming out one after the other. No one will blame you if you miss this one.

Grace: F