I know not every digital streaming service has the same capital to invest in projects that don’t make it to normal movie theaters.
However, that doesn’t make them any less worthy of reviewing when the cast is fairly decent.
A great example is “Carry-On,” which dropped for subscribers last Friday.
The premise has been done before in a slew of other action flicks, but what it reminds me most of is a mix between the first “Die Hard” (1988), 2008’s “Eagle Eye,” and “Face/Off” (1997).
The main plot follows a young TSA officer who's blackmailed into letting a Russian chemical nerve agent onboard a flight during the Christmas Eve rush at Los Angeles International Airport.
You can imagine that the film thrives on chaos and prefers taking the simple route in sowing modern fears.
Carry-On is a 2024 American action thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by T.J. Fixman.
The film stars Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Dean Norris, Sinqua Walls, Tonatiuh, Curtis Cook, Danielle Deadwyler, and Jason Bateman.
Clocking at 119 minutes long, the movie is rated PG-13 for strong violence, bloody images, some language and suggestive references.
Ethan Kopek (Egerton) is a TSA officer at Los Angeles International Airport, but dreams of being a policeman.
His pregnant girlfriend Nora (Carson), is the operations director of Northwind Airlines at the airport and urges him to follow his dreams.
To that end, he decides to ask his boss Phil Sarkowski (Norris) about a promotion.
He's put in charge of the X-ray machine as a test run.
Early in his duties, Ethan is handed an apparently lost earbud, through which The Traveler (Bateman) instructs him to let Mateo (Tonatiuh) through the line or Nora will be killed.
Ethan initially attempts to call the police and later warn a senior colleague Lionel (Cook) using invisible ink on a boarding pass.
But the Traveler induces a heart attack and Lionel dies.
While Ethan grieves over Lionel's death, co-worker Jason (Walls) covers for him and the Traveler demands Kopek to return to his post at the scanner.
Ethan switches Jason's coffee to a cup filled with alcohol, which results in Jason's dismissal.
He lets Mateo and the Traveler's carry-on through, but grapples with guilt as the Traveler reveals to Ethan he plans to set off the Novichok nerve agent on a Northwind flight.
LAPD detective Elena Cole (Deadwyler) investigates an arson case where a wiretap suggests plans to deploy Novichok.
After learning Ethan's attempt to call the police, Elena has the police shut down the TSA line and plans to talk with Ethan.
Meanwhile, Ethan uses his supervisor's log-in to include Mateo in the random search and tries to explain the situation to Nora.
However, the Watcher directs a sniper rifle at Nora, then the Traveler confronts Ethan in a bathroom.
While Ethan manages to overpower the Traveler and threaten him with the Traveler's gun, the Traveler arms the Novichok to be released through the airport in 10 minutes.
The Traveler offers to guide Ethan through the disarming process if he releases him.
Unfortunately for Ethan, that’s not the end of the nightmare – there are more instructions to follow and threats made against Nora and Mateo’s husband.
Overall, the film is better than I expected and that’s in large part owed to Bateman’s “hidden in plain sight” villain portrayal at the airport.
Could the film have been better – yes – but, it surprised me and can definitely take its place among the “Christmassy” action flick pantheon.
