Despite being unceremoniously snubbed at the Oscars for a magical turn as Elton John in Rocketman, Taron Egerton has proven himself to be a skilled acting chameleon with a deep well of performances hidden below his charming exterior time and time again. A campy, action-packed thriller is up next on his filmography, directed by the always-reliable Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, House of Wax, Jungle Cruise). While it may initially seem that playing an aimless TSA agent could be a flat downgrade for an actor who thrives on peppy ingenuity, Carry-On proves itself a perfect vehicle for Egerton’s expansive talent. Collet-Serra takes full advantage of thrilling airport set pieces to provide maximum tension. Driven by a reserved, vocal-heavy performance from Emmy-winner Jason Bateman and a nuanced Egerton, Carry-On blasts through the competition, complete with the manic energy of a 90s action/thriller.
With fatherhood and Christmastime approaching, Ethan (Egerton) must reassess his stagnant existence. What better time to step up to the plate? His beautiful girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson, Disney’s Descendants, Purple Hearts), does not seem to mind that Ethan’s career trajectory over the three years he has been with the TSA remains as flat as the day he started. Whether being given a wake-up call by the positive pregnancy test—or the fact that suddenly everyone at his job knows about the news—Ethan presses his boss (Dean Norris, Breaking Bad, American Horror Story: Freak Show) to help with a promotion or raise of some kind. Coworker Jason (Sinqua Walls, The Blackening, Shark Night 3D) offers up his own position screening the luggage at TSA checkpoints. If Ethan can show initiative, perhaps that may come with a raise.
As the pieces fall into place for Ethan, we also see a man in a baseball cap and several other moving parts converge at the same time. Credited only as “Traveler,” we never actually get to learn the character’s true identity. Bateman plays this figure as unreadable as possible, relying on the strength of his lightly commanding voice to lord his control over Ethan. An ultimatum gives Ethan little option not to cooperate. If he does not obey the Traveler and let a mysterious package make its way through the checkpoint, Ethan’s girlfriend—and subsequently, his unborn child—will be shot dead. Bateman’s voice in Ethan’s ear drives the many twists and turns. The cat-and-mouse nature of the film allows plenty of confrontations between Ethan and the Traveler, while leaving ample room to grow out Ethan’s personal arc. Both leads hold their own, spectacularly clashing in a satisfying manner.
Screenwriter T.J. Fixman (Ratchet & Clank) may not yet have much action-movie experience under his belt, but his pulpy script emphasizes character-first machinations in Carry-On‘s lengthy initial setup. Fixman also maybe puts a little too much fat on the picture, as he lingers on the backdoor investigations, as well as the Traveler and his shady operation. Focusing more intently on Ethan rather than the extraneous threads could have added a further mystery layer to the proceedings. Instead, as an audience, we are one step ahead of Ethan for the majority of the runtime. Still, this angle is not a dealbreaker. A “Last Christmas” fueled car assault sequence almost manages to justify the existence of a subplot featuring two agents (Danielle Deadwyler, Logan Marshall-Green). As for the Traveler’s posse, they are intimidating and random enough to feel like major threats.
Clearly inspired by break-neck thrillers such as Phone Booth, Cellular, and Speed, Carry-On manages to deliver high stakes and dark humor, punctuated by a zippy energy. Creatively using airport locales as a conspiracy-laden scheme slowly becomes exposed helps to emphasize the ridiculousness of the premise. While far from perfect, there is plenty here to satisfy fans of propulsive action. The throwback nature of the narrative fills a hole that has been missing for quite some time in the modern era. A perfect gift for under the tree, the holiday-set Carry-On arrives just in time for feel-good popcorn-movie cheer.
Stop at baggage claim and pick up a pulse-pounding Carry-On, going through security and landing for Netflix subscribers on Friday, December 13th.
