Los Angeles International Airport on Christmas Eve. For most a nightmare place to be. But for TSA Officer Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), it’s about to get a whole lot worse. An unknown assailant (Jason Bateman) has Ethan in his sights, and unless he allows a certain item of luggage through airport security, Ethan’s girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) dies.
Firstly, it’s important to note that Carry-On is not related to the famous series of British comedy films. Sid James is not going to pop out of a suitcase, or anything else, for that matter. Although I have been enjoying the references, jokes and memes that the title has inspired.
Thankfully however, Carry-On is a tense thriller that harks back to classics like Speed and Phonebooth… if – and it’s a big if – you’re willing to take it with a tremendous bucket of salt. Before you get to the thrill ride, the movie asks you to accept quite a lot. I mean, we’re talking Home Alone levels of ‘just go along with it’. But if you can do that, you’re in for a good time. And the main reason for this is the interplay between Egerton’s ‘Kopek’ and Bateman’s unknown ‘Traveler’. Just their dialogue can hold the movie on a knife edge, with one trying to manipulate as the other attempts to wriggle free.
Egerton is great as the guy who’s not exactly happy with where his life is, but suddenly finds himself thrust in to this life or death situation. Director Jaume Collet-Sera is no stranger to this kind of claustrophobic, high-stakes thriller, having directed several of them – many featuring Liam Neeson – which is probably why the whole thing is shot in such a way that you get a sense of Kopek’s isolation, and the pressure he’s under. Not to mention the fact you are constantly wondering how the poor guy is going to deal with the extreme challenges his new friend sets for him.
However, it’s Bateman who steals the show as the rather sinister and downright evil Traveler. Somehow he manages to do this without turning into your typical moustache-twirling villain – an impressive feat for a movie such as this. If anything, Traveler comes across much like a regular guy, who also happens to be capable of some pretty nasty stuff. And yet, Bateman actually manages to make the guy rather likeable, even as he essentially haunts Kopek, and the airport from the shadows.
This ‘edge of your seat’ game of cat and mouse does take a little while to kick in, but once it does it rarely lets up. While the main event is Kopek against Traveler, there is also some interesting stuff going on in the background. Like Theo Rossi’s delightfully psychopathic tech-support – A.K.A. ‘Watcher’ – and a beautifully shot in-car fight sequence.
Things do however, begin to fall apart as we draw closer to the end. The tension seems to fade as the plot gets more and more ridiculous and the cheese factor goes through the roof. Kopek seemingly goes along with it, as he transforms from wannabe cop to wannabe superhero, going way above the call of duty as he continually abandons his post to pull off increasingly insane challenges, in an airport that doesn’t seem as busy as it should on Christmas Eve. But at least the battle of wills between the two leads is gripping enough to keep you teetering on the edge until the very end.
An edge of your seat thrill ride. Carry-On is cheesy, ridiculous, and it falls apart a little towards the end, but it’s worth checking out for the interplay between the two leads, alone.
7/10
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