Jason Bateman Plays Against Type in Action-Thriller

Jason Bateman plays against type as a ruthless villain in Carry-On, a wildly implausible action-thriller that makes little sense but is sure as heck entertaining. The shotgun-paced premise follows a terrorized TSA agent as he’s forced to enact a mysterious mastermind’s heinous plan at LAX on Christmas Eve. The film unabashedly pilfers holiday carnage from the first two Die Hard films with similar themes and narrative beats. The results are honestly good enough for a carefree watch. Just check your brain at the door with a willing suspension of disbelief.

Taron Egerton stars as Ethan Kopek, an underachieving TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agent with a successful girlfriend and big changes in store for the future. Nora (Sofia Carson) has recently been promoted to an airline’s operations manager at the airport. She wants her beloved to follow his dreams while living up to his potential as they embark on a new path in their relationship. The pair drive to work together as the Christmas rush swamps LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) with rude and irate travelers.

Carnage at LAX in ‘Carry-On’

Your changes have been saved

2.5
/5

Carry-On

Release Date

December 13, 2024

Runtime

119 Minutes

Cast

Taron Egerton
, Jason Bateman
, Sofia Carson
, Danielle Deadwyler
, Tonatiuh
, Theo Rossi
, Logan Marshall-Green
, Dean Norris
, Sinqua Walls
, Curtiss Cook
, Joe Williamson
, Gil Perez-Abraham
, Josh Brener
, Benito Martinez
, Edwin Kho
, Reisha Reynolds
, Adam Stephenson
, Michael Scott
, Jeff Pope
, Raymond Rehage

Pros

• Jason Bateman playing a villain is great.
• A carefree watch works with solid action scenes.

Cons

• Requires willing suspension of disbelief.
• Unbelievable secondary actors act foolishly.

Expand

Ethan begs his boss for a chance to prove himself. He’s assigned scanner duty at a busy terminal’s security checkpoint. A call from an unknown number goes from a WTF prank to a cold realization that he’s being targeted. The caller (Bateman) knows everything about Ethan and Nora’s life. He threatens to kill Nora if Ethan doesn’t immediately put on an earpiece and listen to his instructions. There’s someone coming through the line with a bag that will trigger the scanner. Allow him to go through or Nora dies.

The caller teaches Ethan a brutal lesson about disobedience. He can somehow see Ethan and monitor his every move. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, in a burnt-out warehouse, LAPD Detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) investigates charred bodies. The victims weren’t killed in the fire. A key piece of evidence found in the ashes leads her to believe something sinister is brewing.

Jason Bateman’s Evil Turn in ‘Carry-On’

Bateman’s bad guy on the phone shows his villain stripes with near-god-like powers. He’s one step ahead of every possible move. Ethan’s efforts to alert his superiors fall flat. The caller has Ethan in a box and is willing to kill innocents to prove it. Bateman is unseen in a largely effective first act. He’s heard like the whispering devil in Ethan’s ear. Their interaction turns ugly and personal when the voice begins to psychoanalyze Ethan’s personal failures. The caller snarkily presses emotional triggers to force Ethan’s cooperation. These scenes work due to Bateman’s trademark deadpan delivery. His straight-faced mannerisms, used successfully in comedies, work surprisingly well here.

Carry-On’s story arcs merge once the game is afoot in earnest. Cole has to connect the dots to Ethan as he runs around the airport like a marionette on a string. Deadwyler gives needed gravitas to questionable logic and reasoning. Screenwriter T.J. Fixman, known for the Ratchet & Clank animated feature and video game series, has Cole’s bosses gunning to go home for Christmas instead of rallying the troops to thwart a potential terrorist act. It’s implausible that she’d get such blowback for following a hunch, given its deadly ramifications.

This blind ignorance pervades as an unrealistic flaw throughout Carry-On. Law enforcement agents who should know better repeatedly ignore or try to squash Ethan and Cole’s attempts to sound the alarm. Once or twice, maybe that’s believable, but even a whiff of danger at the airport causes a lockdown. Think of what happens when someone leaves an unattended bag in the open. Everything comes to a standstill as authorities do an immediate threat assessment. People dying under bizarre circumstances while a TSA agent has gone off the rails would be an all-hands-on-deck event.

6:51

Related

Taron Egerton Shares His Favorite Action Movies & Talks TSA Thriller ‘Carry-On’

Taron Egerton discusses his upcoming Netflix action film ‘Carry-On’ and reveals what he wants to see in the next ‘Kingsman’ film.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown, Non-Stop, Black Adam) keeps your adrenaline flowing by never stepping off the gas. Carry-On has no lack of tension as Ethan and the caller escalate their battle for control. The always likable Egerton and Bateman raise the stakes when finally meeting in person. Ethan isn’t the ass-kicking Eggsy from the Kingsman franchise. His killer instinct is developed under duress as a dire situation requires deadly fortitude, but the caller also escalates his merciless tactics. The cat-and-mouse game between the two gets better as the film progresses.

Carry-On throws a few climactic curveballs that are both hit-and-miss. The caller’s evil reach is much longer than expected when other players join the fray. That turn is almost derailed by the big reveal of the caller’s dastardly plan. It’s grandiose to a fault. The filmmakers overreach given Bateman’s true motive. He could have achieved the same murderous goal by doing something that required much less planning and execution. But then you wouldn’t have all the crazy running around and big-budget action scenes.

There is one lesson that every viewer should take from the film. Be nice and respectful to airport workers. They do a difficult job under tough circumstances. Carry-On is a production of Dylan Clark Productions and DreamWorks Pictures. It premieres December 13 exclusively on Netflix. You can watch it here.