Carry-On is a very stressful thriller that has a TSA agent playing a game of cat-and-mouse with a terrorist hellbent on all sorts of chaos.

The gist of the film is that run-of-the-mill TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) is trying to outsmart a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) after the latter blackmails him into letting a suitcase on a flight. Ordinarily, the package contents would be a red flag, forcing a search and the passenger would likely be arrested. But with the traveler threatening Ethan, he basically has no choice but to play along. This isn’t to say that Ethan doesn’t attempt to take advantage of any opportunity that would give him the upper hand. Once he figures out what is happening, he’ll do anything to stop things from becoming deadlier.

When the film isn’t following Ethan and the traveler, the camera focuses on Detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler). Her investigation leads her to Ethan and a reluctance in letting him take lead on the matter. There’s a lot more that I would get into here but it’s for the best that I don’t spoil your own experience of watching the film. Deadwyler even did her own stunts, too!

T.J. Fixman’s screenplay is just the latest attempt at making Die Hard. The only difference is that it’s not one person against a bunch of terrorists but Die Hard at the airport. There is so much at stake! However, there is the issue of maybe killing a few thousand people if something goes wrong. This is where it becomes very important for Ethan to prevent this traveler and whatever agenda he has from being successful. Things certainly get more complex when they threaten to kill Ethan’s pregnant girlfriend, Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson). How will Ethan respond to such threats? Will he still play along or try and be one step ahead? Audiences might find themselves asking the questions of what they would do.

Jason Bateman brings both comedy and drama to his approach as a villain. He’s not the Bond villain trying to take over the world. In fact, this is a guy that anyone would just walk past them on their way to the gate or wherever. That’s what sets up apart from so many other cinematic villains. He’s certainly no less dangerous of a villain but what makes him so dangerous is here is a guy that doesn’t look like a villain. His Traveler character is someone to keep in mind should the film qualify for the Critics Choice Super Awards. Netflix did not give the film a theatrical release so it’s a TV movie at best for right now.

In case you’re wondering, the production is utilizing the defunct Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. They’ve done a heck of a job in turning it into LAX. Moreover, the LAX/TSA advisors make sure that everything is authentic to the actual airport experience. Advisors also made sure that the FBI, TSA, airport police, and airport operations relationships were respected. I found myself wondering just how they could get to certain places that are otherwise off limits. It certainly speaks to just how much films can fool us sometimes but wow! Ethan doesn’t stay at the TSA bag scanner–a fake one made for the movie–for the entire film, otherwise it would be very boring. However, there is no shortage of underlying tension while he is at his post.

Carry-On is the sort of old-school popcorn thriller that could have probably been very successful at the box office in pre-pandemic times. Maybe it’s still the type that could put butts in seats but Netflix isn’t taking any chances, bypassing theaters for the streaming service. That’s a shame. I’d rather be schvitzing on the edge of my seat in a theater rather than watching solo in my apartment but that’s just me. You do you!

DIRECTOR: Jaume Collet-Serra
SCREENWRITER: T.J. Fixman
CAST: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Logan Marshall-Green, Dean Norris, Sinqua Walls, and Jason Bateman, Gil Perez-Abraham, Tonatiuh, Curtiss Cook, Joe Williamson, Josh Brener

Netflix will release Carry-On on December 13, 2024. Grade: 3.5/5

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