Picture: Netflix
Produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, Carry-On is one of the most anticipated original films for Netflix this year, featuring a star-studded cast headlined by Kingsman franchise standout Taron Egerton, Purple Hearts’ Sophia Carson, & Ozark legend Jason Bateman.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Black Adam, Non-Stop), the story focuses on Ethan Kopek (Egerton), a young TSA agent with renewed career ambitions following the news of his girlfriend Nora’s pregnancy.
Working on the Christmas holiday, Ethan & Nora (Carson) arrive at LAX ready to take on the busiest flying day of the year; But when Ethan gets a shot at a new position at the luggage scanner, his fate and the fate of everyone in the airport takes a dramatic turn.
Given an earpiece by a customer in his line, Ethan is introduced to a mysterious traveler (Bateman) who blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip by onto a soon-departing flight. With the “traveler” & his crew watching his every move and pointing a gun at those closest to him, Ethan must figure out how to stop these domestic terrorists from doing the unthinkable before it’s too late.
The film also boasts a solid collection of burgeoning stars & widely known character actors such as SAG Award nominee Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson), Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), Sinqua Walls (White Men Can’t Jump), Logan Marshall-Green (The Invitation), & Theo Rossi (Luke Cage, Army of the Dead).
While the casting is a bright spot for the film, the real strength of Carry-On is Egerton vs. Bateman. The tension of the situation and two quality performances from actors we love to watch is the most compelling part of the film. Director Collet-Serra drawing from his years doing “one man army” conspiracy films with Liam Neeson (Non-Stop, The Commuter) creates another well paced cat & mouse scenario for the better part of the middle of the film.
However, as the 3rd act starts and the threats wear thin, the film starts to flip into a more action heavy, basic-to-weak political plot centric story that becomes less compelling as we draw to the inevitable conclusion. While there is some gunplay, some blood spilled, and some Tom Cruise-esque running from Egerton, this is not the strong suit of this PG-13 Die Hard iteration. In fact, it gets downright cringe at times, like the God-awful car fight between Danielle Deadwyler’s detective character Elena Cole & Logan Marshall-Green’s “Agent Alcott”. Spinning the camera with everything always super bright and constantly in focus from a rigid distance makes it scream fake & impersonal. The worst choking attempt to follow and a very normal Deadwyler walking away from an upside down car into another car to drive away. Ugh.
Die Hard. Phone Booth. Speed. Air Force One. All of these films that this movie wants to be so badly had the action chops, violent nature, & tough exterior to go R-rated badass with the language & charm to boot. This film gets a whiff of that for about 30-40 minutes in the middle and becomes predictable, ordinary, & a little sanitized in the final act.
Picture: Netflix
Carry-On is not a Christmas movie, not on the upper echelon of “Die Hard on a …” films, but can make you feel enough cursory feelings for both that you’ll get through your Saturday night streaming in December with flying colors. Bateman & Egerton get the assignment and make us engaged for a long stretch before the movie takes their chemistry off the board. Not a bad way to spend your time before doing your annual rewatch of Die Hard or Lethal Weapon later in the month.
Watch Carry-On If You Liked
- Die Hard 2: Die Harder
- Phone Booth
- Non-Stop
- The Commuter
- Speed
MVP of Carry-On
Jason Bateman as “Traveler”
Child actor. Sitcom star. Emmy Nominated Actor & Director. Lead of a comedy movie franchise. Lead of a prestigious TV crime drama.
Jason Bateman has been all of these and more over his 40 year career in Hollywood. While his works have been largely comedic in nature, every so often Bateman will drop the sarcasm and go straight for the throat. Ozark, The Outsider, The Gift. We’ve seen what Bateman can do with a character that’s been pushed too far and trying to find control.
With Carry-On, Bateman works on another register, something adjacent to his Ozark days but with a more cold & calculated measure. He works better in the shadows only getting dirty if he absolutely needs to. He gets things done and doesn’t care about the message nor the messenger.
While my preference with Bateman has always been with his wit & snark, it’s fun to see him step out from time to time and show us that he is capable in most any setting & situation he may find himself in.
A shiny, taut-enough thriller with PG-13 pulled punches. Another addition to the “Die Hard on a …” subgenre that doesn’t have the chops or charm to live up to John McClane but will satisfy enough with Egerton & Bateman to win over the Netflix faithful.
Netflix Synopsis: "A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss."
