Carry-On

Carry‑On (2024)

Carry‑On is a tightly-wound holiday thriller set in the high-stakes environment of LAX on Christmas Eve. Directed by Jaume Collet‑Serra, the story centers on TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), whose mundane shift turns into a nightmare when he receives an earpiece and is blackmailed by a shadowy figure known only as the Traveler (Jason Bateman). The Traveler claims to be tracking Ethan’s pregnant girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson), threatening to kill her unless Ethan allows a suspicious carry-on bag—containing a deadly nerve agent—onto a crowded flight. What follows is a tense game of cat and mouse, as Ethan scrambles through the airport, torn between protecting others and saving his loved one.

Egerton delivers a compelling performance, portraying Ethan’s descent from composed officer to desperate man battling regret, fear, and moral turmoil. Bateman’s Traveler is a quietly menacing adversary—calm, calculating, and eerily methodical. Their exchanges, broadcast through the earpiece, anchor the film’s suspense and emotional gravity. Danielle Deadwyler appears as an LAPD detective racing to unravel the threat, adding another layer of tension. While her subplot sometimes feels peripheral, she brings grounded intensity to the narrative.

Collet‑Serra uses the bustling airport setting to ratchet up pressure, mixing claustrophobic indoor sequences with frantic chases through terminals and cargo zones. One standout moment is a continuous car-chase fight sequence that pulls the viewer into the action—ambitious in scope, if occasionally marred by glossy CGI. The cinematography effectively contrasts the holiday cheer around the airport with the grim tension of Ethan’s plight.

Carry‑On isn’t flawless. Its premise hinges on several implausible leaps—Ethan’s increasingly reckless decisions go unchecked, timing coincidences strain credibility, and the film occasionally feels padded to reach its two‑hour runtime. The tone straddles seriousness and camp, leaving the thriller-to-festive ratio uneven at times. Still, much like Die Hard‑style action films, its appeal lies in its economy: high stakes, central performances, and brisk pacing.

Ultimately, Carry‑On is an entertaining popcorn thriller—a blend of heartfelt urgency and tension with implausible scenarios that require viewer buy‑in. It won’t redefine its genre, but for those seeking a Christmas-set explosion of suspense, it delivers enough adrenaline and character moments to justify the ride.