CARRY-ON (NETFLIX) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: A young TSA agent fights to outsmart a mysterious traveler who blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip onto a Christmas Eve flight.

MOVIE REVIEW:

If you are familiar with the works of Jaume Collet-Serra, you will know that the Spanish-American helmer is known for his intense mystery/action thrillers liked Unknown, The Commuter and Run All Night in his early Hollywood career. In recent years, he has directed big tentpole projects including Black Adam and Jungle Cruise.

With Carry-on, the first DreamWorks/Netflix release, Collet-Serra is back in familiar territory promising audiences two full hours of suspense and intense action.

Taron Egerton plays Ethan Kopek (not Hunt), a TSA officer stationed at LAX while his pregnant girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson) works as an airline operations director in the same location. Kopek hates his job but he knows he needs to provide for his baby. Thus he requests a promotion from his boss, Sarkowski (Dean Norris) and he is then put in charge of the security scanner.

Soon, he is handed a lost earbud and the mysterious stranger on the other end dubbed the traveller (Jason Bateman) blackmailed Kopek into allowing a specific baggage to pass through the X-ray scanner or risk the death of Nora.

Apart from the airport setting, Carry-on is far from Die Hard 2 in case you are expecting gun-toting terrorists barging into the place. T.J. Fixman’s screenplay in the vein of The Commuter feature lots and lots of talking in the initial stage. First of all, it showcases the cold-blooded nature of the antagonist and also the wittiness of Kopek in the face of danger. Pacing is excellent as the numerous riveting exchanges between the two culminates to an action oriented showdown.

If there are things to nitpick, well there is an underused LAPD detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) who comes to the picture midway and her involvement in an embarrassing CGI-heavy car crash. Things would be a lot more exciting if the mystery thriller only involves Kopek and the so-called “freelance facilitator”.

Egerton does his very best as an everyday action hero. In fact, he might be potentially an ideal choice as the next Ethan Hunt. Bateman playing against type surprises as the dark villain from hell. With his face concealed for the beginning of the movie, his voice alone sounds sinister enough to send the chills.

This is by far one of the best action thrillers by Netflix. Without relying heavily on CGI and green screen, Carry-on succeeds on old-school cinematic magic despite some implausibilities. Smart, intense and engaging, Collet-Serra is still the man for such guilty pleasures.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee