Director Jaume Collet-Serra has been a director I’ve been following for some time now. For me he just consistently puts out films that are in my wheelhouse that I just know I’ll have fun with. His films just remind me of what it was like to watch the action films of the 90s, and I kind of feel he’s like the new Renny Harlin, and I say this with love. If you compare the two filmmakers’ resumes the similarities are pretty incredible. Both have a shark film, both have an adventure film involving a boat that sadly was a commercial failure despite being fun, both have an action film at an airport during Christmas, and now come to find out Collet-Serra is remaking Cliffhanger, which happens to be a Renny Harlin film. I mean, seriously, what are the odds of that happening? The moment I found out that Netflix released the new Jaume Collet-Serra film, I couldn’t be more excited to check this film out and take a break from the awards season films and just enjoy some popcorn-friendly cinema. Was it a hit, or did it crash and burn?
Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) has just found out that he’s about to become a dad. He should be happy, but he hates his job working for the TSA, and he’s worried about supporting his family. His girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson) also works at the airport, and she sees how miserable he is at his job and wants him to follow his dream of becoming a police officer … This conversation is had before they are both going in to work on Christmas day, and they both know they are about to have a stressful day, only they don’t realize just how bad their day is about to get.
Ethan becomes the unintended target at the airport to be the agent to allow a certain passenger with a carry-on case to pass through the baggage check or else his girlfriend will be killed. Jason Bateman plays the unknown traveler who is threatening Ethan to go through with this and to put it simply the first half of the film is fantastic as Ethan and the Traveler are trying to out maneuver the other. To easily describe this film it is Speed meets Die Hard 2 and it is a hell of a lot of fun, once this film gets going it does not ease up and despite how familiar the plot may seem it is crafted so well it doesn’t matter because I’m already strapped in and enjoying the ride.
There’s a second story going on with Detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) who is investigating a suspicious murder that leads her to believe something may be going on at LAX. At first I was kind of not liking this storyline because I felt it was interrupting the tension that is building with Ethan and the Traveler, BUT she does arguably have the coolest moment of the film, and from that moment on I was completely on board … All I’ll say about this moment is that when it happens you’ll know it, and I’m willing to bet it will be one of the highlights of the film. What I also appreciate about the film is that it is firmly aware of its roots coming from Die Hard 2 and even has a fun fight scene on the baggage conveyer belts that is definitely a fun *wink and nod* to the audience. But this isn’t a film just jam-packed with fight scenes or shootouts. Some of the most tense scenes don’t involve violence at all.
Egerton and Bateman are so much fun to watch in this, and the supporting cast is pretty good as well, but it’s because of the script by T.J. Fixman (seriously?) who previously worked with writing for the Ratchet and Clank video games (and possibly writing a Knight Rider film, yes please). I’m not saying this is the best script of the year, but it is the best action script in a while, because it gets the genre. The film isn’t trying to deliver a message or follow current trends; this is a story that will hold up years from now despite how technology may evolve.
The film isn’t flashy with big effects or crazy camera angles (with one exception); instead the film keeps things visually simple, which again gives this film that 90s action thriller vibe in the best way. Keeping the attention on the performances is what works. Are there some plot holes? Sure, but this isn’t a film that is asking its audience to be critical; this film is just wanting its audience to shut their brains off for two hours and have fun. Because of how fun this film is, I genuinely feel Netflix kind of dropped the ball with this one and should have let this have a theatrical release. This is hands down a bona fide hit they have on their service. This isn’t an art film for a niche audience; this is the kind of action thriller I feel people will respond to in a big way. Also the fact that Netflix has barely put much advertising into this is a shame. Sure, people will find it, and I’m betting word of mouth will make this successful, but it deserved better.
Carry-On is streaming now exclusively on Netflix
