Carry-On

Carry-On is a dumb movie that almost outruns its stupidity thanks to its sheer entertainment value and the star power from Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman.

For the first hour, it works like gangbusters, setting up a wildly outrageous but captivating cat-and-mouse game between a hapless TSA agent and the dangerously charming terrorist pulling the strings. But once it hits the midway point, Carry-On derails itself by going big and loud, throwing in car chases, shootouts, and one of the silliest climaxes this side of Steven Seagal.

If the formula sounds familiar, that's because this is a Jaume Collet-Serra joint, and he's done this before. His previous films, Run All Night, Non-Stop, and The Shallows run on similar tracks. Solid first halves that break down because the filmmaker doesn't trust his material enough.

It's frustrating, too, because if Carry-On would stick to the style and pacing set up in the first half, it would be a new classic worthy of the Die Hard title it desperately craves.

Egerton plays Ethan Kopek, a wannabe cop coasting through life working at Los Angeles International Airport in security. His girlfriend (Sofia Carson), wants more, especially now that she's pregnant.

At Christmas, during peak holiday rush, Ethan gets a call from a stranger who knows more about him than he should. The Stranger (Bateman) wants Ethan to let a carry-on bag through security and do nothing. That's it: the bag goes through, everyone moves on, and life resumes. It's not long before Ethan figures out there's more to the plot, but he's running out of time as he finds himself trapped by an enemy who seemingly has eyes everywhere.

It's solid, if preposterous stuff. Pick at any of the loose threads and the plot collapses. But that's the case with any Die Hard -film, even Die Hard itself. This is a fantasy world where things happen because the plot needs them to. It's thanks to Egerton and Bateman that we buy it. Only when the film resorts to an Idiot Plot do we realize how empty the rest of it is.

But what a show they put on! Bateman is particularly icy as the Stranger, moving between charm and malice effortlessly, even when he's not on screen. When he shows up, it's a surprise how this doesn't lessen his presence. Usually, it would be the death of the thrills, yet Bateman switches gears so flawlessly that it becomes another type of threat entirely.

Likewise, Egerton puts in another solid performance as Ethan and proves yet again he's the real inheritor to the working-class action hero title. Even though his character's background is silly – the barrier to becoming a cop in America is spectacularly low – Egerton sells the anxiety of being adrift fantastically. We want him to succeed because he's a relatable failure. Something we've all been at one point or another.

Carry-On is at its best when it plays out like a Roger Corman B-movie on a budget. Its closest relative is the terrific Colin Farrell thriller Phone Booth from the mid-2000s. When it breaks loose from those conventions, it's a lesser film. Not an entirely bad one, but a noticeably less interesting experience. Instead of engaging with our hero, I found myself thinking of all the ways I wanted it to play out differently. That's rarely a good sign for a film.

And yet, in the end, I didn't regret my time with Carry-On. I doubt it'll become a classic I return to once a year like Die Hard, but I won't avoid it like other challengers to the John McTiernan throne. You shouldn't either. It's perfectly decent entertainment, and sometimes that's all we can ask for.