CARRY-ON

US, 2024, 190 minutes, Colour.

Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Tonatiu, Logan Marshall-Green, Dean Norris, 'SinquaWalls, Curtiss Cook, Gill Peres-Abraham.

Directed by Jaume Collett-Serra.

Most audiences would be thinking of Carry-on luggage on planes. However, some British critics raised the objection that “Carry on” was sacrosanct with the series of broad comedies from the 1970s on with Sid James and the Carry on cast…!

This is an action story is set on Christmas Eve, reminding audiences that one of the most popular Christmas films was, in fact, Bruce Willis in .  Die Hard. This is very much in the Die Hard vein.

There is a violent opening, Russian drug dealers, confrontations and killings, and an abduction. Expectations are set. And, with Jaume Collett Serra as the director, with quite a number of action films during his career, especially with Liam Neeson (Non-stop, Run all Night, The Commuter), there are quite some complications and confrontations.

Then the focus is on the main character, Ethan, Taron Egerton (The King’s Man, also playing Elton John in Rocketman), working on security at LAX with his pregnant girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson) as an executive job. This gives the basis for the human element during all the dangers at the airport.

The film spends some time showing the workings of security and the staff at Los Angeles vast airport. Then Ethan finds himself pushing for a promotion, given a different desk which, it emerges, upsets the careful plan of the arch criminal, called The Traveller (heard at first, then seen as Jason Bateman calmly and relentlessly and implacably sinister). The aim is to get a bag with nerve gas through security without examination.

The film maintains its tension throughout, the focus on Ethan, the pressures, the threats to kill Nora, his racing through the airport many times, using his wits, the face-to-face with The Traveller, the passenger with the case…

In fact, the film builds up tension with the arrival of the LA police, Homeland security, suspension of security action, flights delayed, the locating of the case, the threat that the nerve gas could pervade the whole airport.

We hope that the scenario would be impossible in real life, but! In the meantime, for those who have celebrated Christmas too often with Die Hard, here is its successor.

1. Christmas crime and potential disaster movie? Action, characters, tension?
2. Los Angeles setting, LAX, outside, arrivals and parking, the interiors of the terminals, the offices? The van, communications with The Traveller? The musical score?
3. The introduction, the Russians, the money, the nerve gas, the killings, the reports? The abduction of the hostage, being held in the van?
4. Ethan and Nora, together, age, relationship, the stories of the backgrounds, police Academy, application and rejection, lying, about his father? Father’s career? Life together, travel to the airport, respective jobs? Nora and her challenger about the police Academy?
5. Ethan, character, hurrying, late, the head and his comments, preparations for Christmas Eve, Ethan asking for a promotion, friendship with Jason, Jason offering the change? The rest of the staff, Eddie, his music, his jobs? The security desks and monitors, the line of travellers, security, the baggage, the collage of personal criticisms and crankiness passengers?
6. The setup, The Traveller, first hearing his voice, the woman and the tray, the earpiece? The situation, The Watcher and everything under surveillance, the connections? Jason as the target, his home watched, the threats to his family? The transition to Nora, getting all the information about her? The Traveller using it?
7. The situation, airport security, Christmas Eve crowds, the threats? Audiences identifying with Ethan, listening, conversations, challenges, the threats to Nora, the phone and the message, cancelled and its later being checked? Unease, the information about the Traveller? The bag, the red tag, the mystery of the contents, its being let through?
8. The cat and mouse with The Traveller, personalities, his calm, control, eventually being seen, meeting with Ethan, their discussions, the threats?
9. Elena, police, the murders and investigation, the burning of the building, the recording, getting some information, deciphering the nerve gas name, googling? Her contacting the agent, his working with her, the revelation of his being a phony, the driving, the crash? Elena, the contact with Homeland, getting to the airport, taking control, the airport manager of the shutdown? List of 50 suspects?
10. Ethan, running through the airport, the lunch with Nora, tension, his hurting her, reconciliation? His changing the name on the list? His finding the case, the instructions for disabling the nerve gas?
11. The interviews, the threat to the chief, the passenger killing him? The deaths, his passing the ticket and message to Lionel, Lionel’s death? Jason, believing Ethan was wanting a promotion, the change of the drink, collapse?
12. The buildup to the tension in the airport, Elena and her control, the encounter with Ethan, his pushing her? With the passenger, the passenger and the earpiece, the fight, his death? Ethan and the swapping of the bags?
13. The passenger, controlled by The Traveller, care for his husband, killing the supervisor, collaboration, The Traveller urging him to kill Ethan, his death?
14. The change of plan, the different flight, Ethan with Nora, the plan, whether the plane should go or not, his getting to the plane, the baggage area, dismantling the nerve gas, The Traveller and his phone, going down, the fight, Ethan and his shrewdness, the final confrontation, the nerve gas in the freezer, The Traveller and his death?
15. The background of the politics, the politician and her move, companies and wanting contracts, a scenario of the nerve gas, her being killed by the Russians, no matter how many deaths – and the threat for the deaths in the airport itself?
16. Nora, the pregnancy, talk about the baby, later, happy baby, going to Tahiti, Jason and his family?