Film Review – Carry-On

Carry-On
In a season overstuffed with hard hitting dramas, big budget spectacles, socially conscious documentaries, and other productions geared for award contention, it’s refreshing to see a good old entertainer as well made as Carry-On (2024). This is the kind of film whose sole purpose is to provide thrills for the entirety of its two-hour runtime, and it does just that. Due to its action taking place primarily at an airport, with a protagonist going up against a villain that has them stuck between a rock and hard place, comparisons will be made to everything from Die Hard 2 (1990) to Phone Booth (2002). The parallels are justified. This was a fun watch. If you need some alternative programming for the holidays, this might be it.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra and writer T.J. Fixman sets the stage with a straightforward premise. TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), who has spent years as part of the security check at LAX, has been given the opportunity to run the X-Ray machine. He is responsible for making sure every carry-on item that comes through the scanner is free of potential threats. His first day on the job couldn’t be more stressful given that it is Christmas Eve, one of the busiest days of the year. Things take a turn for the worst when Ethan is given an earpiece and told to put it on. The stranger on the other end of the line (Jason Bateman) informs him that a highly suspicious suitcase will be going through his line. Ethan must allow the suitcase to pass the security check or else he, the passengers, or his pregnant girlfriend (Nora Parisi) – who also happens to work at LAX – will be in grave danger.

The effectiveness of Fixman’s script involves how much of a pressure cooker it places Ethan in. One of the themes involving his character is his unambitious nature – settling for the status quo rather than advancing his personal or professional lives. That mindset is put to the ultimate test when Ethan goes up against the stranger. Nearly every avenue has been cut off – his every move, communication, and action are put under a microscope. The stranger’s instructions puts Ethan in really bad positions. Some of the more tense sequences feature Ethan having to make drastic decisions, putting him at odds with his girlfriend, his boss (Dean Norris), and his coworker Jason (Sinqua Walls). It’s a double-edged sword. If Ethan does what the stranger tells him, people will die. But if he doesn’t, the same thing will happen. The stranger continues to prod and push Ethan, bullying him to do whatever he asks. The biggest question is how much Ethan is willing to take before he decides to fight back.
Collet-Serra’s direction – in coordination with Diane Lederman’s production design and Lyle Vincent’s cinematography – makes LAX a living, breathing character. The hustle and bustle of customers in the background, TSA agents and other airport employees running around in circles, the labyrinthine-like layout of the terminal, restaurants, and backrooms, the automation of the conveyor belts taking luggage to the planes, Ethan having to speak to the stranger while continuing to do his job, etc. It’s all these multiple gears spinning simultaneously that puts the film on edge. For a story that takes place mostly in one location, the production did an excellent job of using every inch of the airport to their advantage. There were multiple instances where Ethan had to sprint, Tom Cruise-style, from one end of LAX to the other, yet each time it felt urgent and unrepetitive. This is an example of how the environment contributes to the intensity of the action. The commotion of the day makes the suspense all the more palpable.
Danielle Deadwyler appears as LAPD detective Elena Cole. While Cole spends most of the time playing catch up to information we (the audience) are already aware of, Deadwyler makes up for it with a sturdy, reliable performance. Even though she is not part of the main interaction between Ethan and the stranger, Cole gets to participate in the most memorable action sequence. Taking place during a high-speed chase on the freeway, Cole engages in close quarters combat with an assailant inside the same car. Shot in one unbroken take (with the assistance of some notable CGI), the camera zooms in and around the interior of the car, capturing the characters struggling while other vehicles go crashing all around them. It’s a ludicrous sequence that defies the laws of physics, but it’s executed with such energy and bravado that it manages to win us over. The other action set pieces are grounded and realistic – this is the one time where the filmmakers truly let all believability fly out other window in favor of sheer gusto.

Carry-On benefits from its casting. Like Bruce Willis in the first Die Hard (1988) or Keanu Reeves in Speed (1994), Taron Egerton does not play Ethan as some muscle laden, highly efficient superhero. He completely erases his “Eggsy” persona from the Kingsman franchise. Instead, he makes Ethan an average Joe – someone who doesn’t have all the answers, makes multiple mistakes, and is pretty much operating on the fly. He is a true underdog character. His performance works well in contrast to Jason Bateman’s stranger. Where Egerton plays his character full of doubt and anxiety, Bateman plays his as cool and calculated. He uses his recognizable voice as a weapon, manipulating his targets with the precision of an Exacto knife. He rarely (if ever) raises his voice. The difference in physical stature also compliments the character dynamics. Egerton is shorter than Bateman, and Collet-Serra’s direction takes advantage of that to amplify the stranger imposing his will over Ethan.
Carry-On fits the description of a “Popcorn Movie.” It isn’t trying to express any kind of deep meaning or statement about the injustices of the world, it isn’t trying to wax philosophically about the hardships of society, and it isn’t trying to provide any grand revelations about life. But it does provide solid character development, intense action sequences, and a whole lot of edge-of-your-seat excitement. Sometimes, that’s all you really need. It does its job and does it well.