The holiday season can be a stressful one especially if you and your loved ones have to fly somewhere. Airports can be a nightmare. Imagine what it has to feel like for the TSA Agents who have to work on Christmas Eve or other holidays for that matter. Throw in a potential terrorist threat and you have Carry-On. The latest film from director Jaume Collet Serra. He’s been working with Liam Neeson for years, but he teams with Taron Egerton this time around for his new white-knuckle actioner.

Ethan Kopek (Taron Edgerton) is skating by on his good looks and charm, but when he’s thrust into a situation beyond his pay grade he’s a bit over his head. He is contacted by a mysterious man through an earpiece saying if he doesn’t let a specific package through his x-ray scanner machine that he’s monitoring the mystery man will kill his fiance and the mother of his impending child.  Trying to make a difference to his boss and potentially save his wife from death, Kopek tries to thwart the man at every turn he can.

This film is filled with many scenes of adrenaline-fueled action. A plot thread of Edgerton’s character being a track star in high school plays into the fact that he’s running all around LAX trying to save his loved one and hundreds of others who could potentially die if a plane exploded in mid-air. Serra uses every part of the airport from the baggage separation system to the runway and everything in between. I felt like I knew this airport backward and forward. Even if some of what I was watching was sets and Soundstage. It all looked genuinely real to me while I was watching the movie. I was completely invested in everything that was going on.

I love a good movie villain and this one has one. The man in black as I’ll call him starts out as a voice on a phone and I can instantly tell who it is. It was Jason Bateman of Air and Netflix Ozark fame. He is a sinister character who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal of getting this bag onto a specific airplane. He’s cunning and very clever in the way he does things. I wouldn’t want to mess with him in a situation like this, that’s for sure. Bateman uses his trademark wit and charm even when he’s saying and doing evil things. He was a nice choice for a villain role such as this even though it might be perceived as outside the box by some. He owns it and you can tell he’s enjoying every minute he’s on screen as this character.

Taron Edgerton is one of my favorite actors working today. He’s played Elton John in a musical biopic, he’s voiced a singing gorilla in the Sing films, he played a young spy in Kingsman: The Secret Service and he’s played a learning-disabled sky jumper in Eddie the Eagle. He has even done some good television work in Black Bird. His range knows no bounds. The character he plays in Carry-On is a lot different than his other roles though. It’s a little more self-deprecating at first before he develops a conscience and starts to act on that. He can’t stand by and let his fiance and hundreds of people potentially die at the hands of a madman just doing what he’s paid for. Edgerton shows me something different in every role he takes. I’ll be here watching and waiting for the next one. He’s such an engaging actor to watch and root for.

Besides Edgerton and Bateman, Serra has assembled a nice cast of character actors to fill out his ensemble.  Sofia Carson plays Edgerton’s fiance and he has a few good moments to shine. Her chemistry with him is quite nice. I’d be glad to see her in something else again soon though. She was quite nice to follow along with during the course of the film. Dean Norris from Breaking Bad fame plays Edgerton’s boss. He has some funny lines and is a nice dichotomy to the serious action that is going on for most of the movie. Theo Rossi has been popping up everywhere lately.  I just saw him in The Penguin series on Max where he played a psychologist and here he plays a hitman/assassin hired to kill Edgerton’s fiance if he doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do. Last but not least on the cast of supporting characters list is Danielle Deadwyler, who’s gathering some Oscar buzz for her work in The Piano Lesson, and plays a detective trying to put the puzzle together of what is going on at LAX. Once again she’s fantastic in another role. I’ve become a big fan of hers ever since I saw her in Till. This cast is fantastic and they all compliment Edgerton perfectly. I enjoyed seeing them all do good work here.

Carry-On is coming out at the right time on Netflix. It’s premiering this Friday a couple of weeks before the Christmas holiday.  Film fans and travelers alike will get an eye full of this action film set in an airport around the Christmas/New Year vacation break. The stress and anxiety will set in for many I’m sure. I’m sure this is going to be a big hit with audiences. The cast, especially Edgerton and Bateman are fantastic. The action scenes are nonstop and adrenaline-fueled. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was watching this movie. Serra knew exactly what kinds of things to put into this film to cause issues with those watching such as myself. I’m truly hoping this becomes a big hit this holiday season.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen