Carry On
Plot
Ethan Kopeck is a TSA agent at LA Airport. He has just discovered his (fellow LA Airport employee) girlfriend is Nora, pregnant, and discussions of his future – whether with the airport, or as a police officer are had. He asks his boss for extra responsibility and is given the go ahead to manage the baggage scanner for the day.
During his shift he is soon given an air pod and instructed via text message to put it in, and discovers a dangerous ‘Traveller’ wants him to allow a bag through – and if he doesn’t – the Traveller will kill Nora. He then takes it upon himself to work out who exactly the Traveller is trying to get on a plane, and how to stop him.
Meanwhile an eager Detective –has deduced something is happening at LA airport today – and is on the mission to find out what. Together, can they stop him?
Direction
High quality, and high adrenaline action film from Jaume Collet-Serra (whose other work I have not watched yet) – has strong Die Hard vibes to it (terrorist, at an airport, at Christmas).
The action is pretty well nonstop, and keeps you on the edge of your seat for the most parts.
I quite enjoyed the car crash fight sequence between Cole and Alcott, despite the use of CGI for it – I think it was done really well.
At almost 2hrs I did find it drag a little too long, and some editing could have been done.
I really enjoyed the way the phones screens were displayed for the audience to see, as at several times the way the characters needed to communicate was via text. This has been done to death in film, but I felt the ratio was just right.
Cast/Characters
Taron Egerton plays Ethan, and has shed his young Eggsy persona in favour of a more mature character – who is fighting to holding onto his youth. I became a father at 30, and have changed careers a couple of times, so I empathised with his personality type. Knowing he is actually a British actor though, I did find some of his early lines in regards to British v American etymology funny.
Jason Bateman is the primary, and unnamed antagonist, and he does a fantastic job at playing the menacing, at first off screen character. He is both physically and verbally threatening at times.
Sofia Carson plays Nora, is the polar opposite to the ‘damsel in distress’ type as her character is boss at LA airport, and once she discovers the threat is both strong willed and witted.
Danielle Deadwyler plays Cole – the detective on the trail of the villain. Both actresses gave fantastic performances, and the film needed them both.
Secondary cast are Theo Rossi as the travellers 2ic, up-and-comer Tonatiuh as another of the travellers ‘assistants’, and Dean Norris who plays Kopek’s boss.
Screenplay/Setting/Themes
Set at Christmas, this is another Christmas adjacent film (Wait, is this a Christmas movie???), it is primarily located in and around the LA area – and of course the Airport.
The ‘everyman’ who becomes a hero has been done to death, especially with the cliché ‘expecting a baby’ subplot, but despite being done time and time again this was done well.
There is also the cliché of the ‘nobody listens to the cop who knows something is up’ with Deadwyler’s ‘millennial’ Detective. She adds a little of her generational humour to the film, which breaks up the tension between Ethan and the Traveller.
There are some well added twists within the film, as well as Ethan almost destroying his entire life in order to stop the Traveller.
It was also refreshing to see a film like this not to be over reliant on the use of four-letter words, in fact there is no coarse language in the film – instead relying on the tension that the Traveller brings.
Considering for the first 45 minutes of the film, The Traveller is an unseen threat, the screenplay needs to be strong – and that it is, especially as Ethan is able to deduce things about him due to the diegetic sound around the airport.
Overall
I didn’t go in expecting much from this, and if you can ignore logic and realism then you will probably enjoy this as much as I did.
I found it a little ironic that the main character is named Ethan and runs a lot (could Egerton be eyeing taking on another Ethan role?). With well-cast characters, and a genuinely menacing villain, this was a very easy film to watch (despite being a tad overlong).
4/5
If you’re able to, please “buy me a coffee”