'Carry-On' review: Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman lead mindless airport thriller
Courtesy of Netflix
Nothing quite matches the thrill of action movies set in airports. From “Die Hard 2” and “Flightplan” to “Air Force One” and even “Snakes on a Plane,” there's something inherently gripping about seeing the good guys battle villains within the confined spaces of an airport or airplane. Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Carry-On” takes on this familiar premise, delivering a worthy, albeit forgettable, and entirely preposterous streaming movie of the week that, for all its flaws, still manages to get the job done.
This is by no means a great film, and it demands a massive suspension of disbelief to even remotely accept its ludicrous premise. However, as we approach the end of the year with countless films and performances vying for awards recognition, it’s somewhat refreshing to take a break and indulge in something so mindless—despite the fact that it’s clear where the story is headed within the first ten minutes.
The film stars Taron Egerton as Ethan Koplek, a struggling TSA agent whose dream of becoming a police officer has stalled. Now, on Christmas Eve, he finds himself working alongside his pregnant girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson). With a baby on the way, Ethan is eager to prove himself. He convinces his boss (played by Dean Norris, who adds a quirky touch with his inexplicable voice work for reasons I can’t explain) to let him operate the backscanner machine to check baggage, despite having no prior experience, especially on the busiest travel day of the year!
Once at the scanner, Ethan is targeted by a mysterious traveler, played by Jason Bateman, who brings a brooding and ominous presence to the role. This traveler threatens to kill Nora unless Ethan allows a carry-on bag to pass through security undetected. As the movie unfolds, the contents of the bag and the traveler’s motives become clearer. Predictably, a cat-and-mouse game ensues—a dynamic anyone familiar with this genre will quickly recognize.
T.J. Fixman’s screenplay works best when it allows Bateman and Egerton to shine, evoking memories of the 2002 thriller “Phone Booth.” But once the narrative veers into side plots involving the government and an FBI agent, played by Danielle Deadwyler, “Carry-On” begins to lose its momentum and veers off course.
That said, the two leads are solid, and the action sequences are sleek, particularly a climactic brawl inside the belly of a commercial plane. Ultimately, that’s all anyone can really ask from a film that’s likely to be forgotten a week from now. “Carry-On” is the type of movie that’s perfect for a watch with your rowdiest friends, allowing you to scream at the TV and tear apart the implausibilities (such as the use of a deadly nerve agent or how Bateman’s character manages to sneak a loaded gun into the airport). Much of the logic is downright silly, but in the case of “Carry-On,” sometimes “dumb” earns you style points and I’ll always respect a film that knows its own identity.
Grade: B-
CARRY-ON streams on Netflix Friday, December 13th.