Carry-On is a new Netflix thriller set at Christmas time that sees a TSA agent, Ethan Kopek, forced to allow a dangerous suitcase through security by a mysterious and dangerous Traveler. With the clock ticking before the suitcase gets on the plane and with the Traveler watching and directing his every move, Ethan is forced to find a way to save the lives of the passengers before Christmas. Between Carry-On and Rebel Ridge, Netflix has found success with action thrillers this year, thanks to charismatic leads and compelling antagonists.
Carry-On succeeds in large part because of Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman. I was a big fan of their dynamic, where Bateman, thanks to his crew and skills, is able to puppet Egerton into his bidding. I always appreciate it when a villain is just evil. There’s no ulterior motive, there’s no tragic backstory, and no reason for us to feel any sympathy towards him. Bateman plays a character like this incredibly well, thanks to his ability to deadpan lines that should carry more weight, but he dials it up when he needs to.
Egerton is phenomenal at showing his emotions and you can feel his fear and guilt on the screen as each attempt to foil the Traveler fails and the suitcase gets closer to its destination. It’s great to foil him with Bateman because you immediately sympathize with him. He’s a good person who’s at the wrong place at the wrong time, but he’s also the only person capable of saving the day.
While the movie doesn’t really deviate from a cookie-cutter story, I found it was able to generate enough tension to stay engaging. There are elements of the story that really worked for me, like some twists with who’s involved and the Traveler’s motives. But other things were a bit too out of place for me. I felt like Danielle Deadwyler’s character did not fit this movie well, specifically in a later action sequence she had with Logan-Marshall Green. Part of me wonders if the movie needed to have certain elements even to be made, but having an FBI subplot took me out of this intimate, thrilling experience.
The action in this movie is good, nothing too spectacular, but that’s ok with me. This movie is at its best when it’s just the Traveler instructing Ethan and Ethan trying and failing to outsmart him, and the movie knows it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Carry-On surprised me. I haven’t been shy about Netflix and its quality, but they’ve recently been on a heater, with Carry-On being one of their latest bangers. Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman were excellent pitted against each other and it is a movie I highly recommend for anyone looking for a good, thrilling time
