For all the rubbish movies Netflix puts out, there’s one or two gems that make wading through less-than-adequate movies a tiny bit worth it. Carry-On is one of those gems, and it’s great to see director Jaume Collet-Serra back on form after the disaster that was Black Adam.
Ethan Kopek’s (Taron Egerton) living his life on auto-pilot; he applied to be a police officer a few years ago but his application was rejected. He never got over that, choosing to simply follow girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) and work in close proximity to her. Now that Nora’s pregnant, she’s encouraging him to exit the cruise lane and have agency over his own life. This pushes Ethan to take initiative in his job as a TSA agent, which places him in a position to be maneuvered and manipulated by the villainous Traveler (Jason Bateman).
Carry-On is a movie driving in the same lane as Die Hard, essentially an action movie that takes place during Christmas, which will surely lead to more ‘Die Hard is a Christmas movie’ discourse. While not quite on the level of Die Hard – a high bar to reach – Carry-On is an absolute blast, and manages to evoke tension quite well despite the plot armour of its main characters.
Egerton is superb and truly shines in this action man role, trying his ardent best to steal the ‘best running in an action movie’ title from Tom Cruise. My only criticism is that he’s somehow less funny with an American accent. Egerton’s always had that natural quick wit which we saw in the Kingsman movies, so I do feel the American accent handicapped him a little, especially when a role like this requires him to drop some comedic zingers. The film spends quite a fair bit of time with Ethan and Nora, since their relationship is an essential part of the narrative and drives Ethan’s motivations, however, Egerton and Carson don’t have a lot of chemistry together. Their conversations don’t reflect the history of their characters and come across more as a way to dump exposition.
The ones with chemistry in this film are actually Egerton and Bateman, and their interactions are the most compelling part of the film. I like that Bateman brings something new to the villain game. He’s not going full camp like Hans Gruber, nor is he a sinister caller like Kiefer Sunderland in Phonebooth. His casual, laidback demeanour adds a layer of horror to the proceedings, as he makes himself sound like the most rational man while urging Ethan to commit immoral deeds. Theo Rossi is delightfully unhinged as the Traveler’s henchman, infusing his performance with a madcap, fiendish energy that scares the living daylights out of us mere mortals.
Another standout is Danielle Deadwyler as the zealous workaholic cop Elena Cole. She’s focused, calm under pressure, and is involved in the coolest action set piece in the whole movie. Deadwyler is proof that when you get actors who can properly act in an action film, the quality of the film just improves even if it’s a mostly paint by numbers action thriller.
Where the film disappoints a little is that the climatic action set piece just isn’t big enough to be iconic. Everyone remembers Hans Gruber falling to his death from Nakatomi Plaza, but I don’t think Carry-On’s lukewarm finale is going to set tongues wagging. The film also really wants us to suspend our disbelief towards the end, and while I was happy to do so, it did dampen my enjoyment of the film.
Carry-On is no Die Hard, but it’s a perfectly serviceable action thriller, held up by the stellar performances from Egerton and Bateman.
REVIEW SCORE: 3.5/5
