Carry-On Review

The stress of Christmas travel is taken to the nth degree in Carry-On, featuring Taron Egerton as an unambitious TSA agent who finds himself in a situation far beyond his job description.

Working on Christmas Eve is a nightmare, even more so if you’re a TSA agent, try to get promoted and end up being forced to help a mysterious nefarious group get a deadly toxin through security so that they can kill a couple of hundred people during a flight. Such is the position Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) finds himself in – just as he’s working out how he’ll adjust to life with a newborn baby.

There are a few classic hallmarks of the genre, from Pregnant Girlfriend Used as Leverage to Surprising Character Being Helpful, but these are balanced well with more innovative ideas and steered by a strong hand. Director Jaume Collet-Serra is confident enough to include what’s expected and add his own twists, resulting in an entertaining alternative to the usual Netflix Christmas fare. And the film is very keen to remind viewers that it’s Christmas. It’s not vital to the plot, all things considered, but it’s frequently pointed out that it is indeed the season. From dialogue cues to Christmas trees and festive music, Carry-On is determined to fill a Die Hard-shaped mould. It’s particularly heavy-handed at the start, but any lack of nuance is paid off during a ‘Last Christmas ’-soundtracked fight scene along a highway.

Simply known as ‘The Traveller’, central antagonist Jason Bateman’s role as a facilitator for the poisoning of hundreds of people is frustratingly inconclusive. With the bad guy essentially a middleman, we only get the outlines of the broader situation. What is shared is an interesting concept, and one that could have been far more fleshed out – although perhaps this film isn’t the right place for it. With this kind of film, you’re not really there for the bigger picture; you just want the high-octane tension of the moment.

Carry-On delivers in that respect. Egerton is a compelling action hero, running down corridors like the best of them and bringing depth to the role that takes the character a step beyond generic. His back-and-forth with The Traveller is snappy, his relationships feel established and his motivations are easy to follow, all of which make him easy to root for.

On the action itself, digital communications are presented well but don’t overwhelm the story. In many modern action films, the need to include technology in the narrative sucks any drama from events – texting is a fairly static activity, and there’s not much interest in watching someone typing their way out of a situation. In Carry-On, this issue is partially handled by Ethan’s lack of access to a phone. When he is tapping out a message, we see it pop up on the screen; it’s unobtrusive and moves the plot along without pulling away from the drama. Similarly well-handled is the audio design. The majority of conversations between Ethan and The Traveller, at least at first, are conducted via an earpiece. When Ethan first puts the earbud in, background noise becomes muffled, Bateman’s voice is heard without interference. It’s a good decision to opt for a clean voiceover rather than trying to make audiences hear exactly what Ethan does.

As could be expected from this type of film, there’s a strong dose of humour throughout. A montage of annoying engers early on will be unpleasantly familiar to anyone who’s been stuck in the airport security queue, and aspiring rapper-slash-airport security agent Eddie’s (Gil Perez-Abraham) incessant plugging of his latest album is a good running gag. When it comes to the major threat itself, though, it’s difficult to square a lighthearted action flick with Novichok. Perhaps this is because of heightened awareness of the nerve agent, at least in the UK, after the 2018 Salisbury poisonings, but the somewhat laissez-faire attitude towards the deadly toxin feels off – even in a film where you expect to have to suspend your disbelief.

Carry-On isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s well-executed, acted, and paced. The perfect film to take the edge off the saccharine sparkles of the season.

★★★

On Netflix now / Taron Egerton, Sofia Carlson, Jason Bateman, Dean Norris, Danielle Deadwyler, Gil Perez-Abraham / Dir. Jaume Collet-Serra / Netflix / 12