Carry-On

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Carry-On follows TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) as he’s forced to help a mysterious man (Jason Bateman) smuggle a briefcase through airport security. It’s appealing subject matter that’s employed to mostly compelling effect by Collet-Serra, as the filmmaker, armed with a screenplay by T.J. Fixman, delivers a slightly overlong yet briskly-paced thriller that boasts a whole host of engaging attributes and elements – with the perpetually watchable atmosphere heightened by several stand-out sequences and a pair of first-class lead performances. (Egerton is quite solid here, undoubtedly, but it’s Bateman’s menacing, engrossing turn that remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings.) And while the 119 minute running time admittedly does result in a handful of lulls, most involving a recurring emphasis on the exploits of a grizzled LAPD detective (Danielle Deadwyler’s Elena Cole), Carry-On builds towards a propulsive second half that culminates with a satisfying (and genuinely exciting) climactic stretch – which effectively (and ultimately) confirms the picture’s place as an agreeable endeavor that feels like a throwback to the similarly-themed fare of the 1990s.

*** out of ****