Carry-On: Taron Egerton is switched to fight or flight mode

Imagine working in a crowded airport on Christmas Eve and not drinking alcohol while on duty. Rule #1: Everyone is expected to do this. Rule #2: Don't be a snitch. Such workplace politics are encountered in Carry On, the new holiday thriller written by T.J. Fixman. You can stream this movie on Flix hd movie

Taron Egerton plays TSA officer Ethan Kopech, who works the holiday shift at Los Angeles International Airport with his newly pregnant girlfriend Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson). Hoping for a career boost for his future family, Ethan gets an opportunity as a baggage inspector. This, unbeknownst to him, thwarts the evil plans of a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman as the Traveler), who is hired to bring a dangerous suitcase onto a plane. As a result, the Traveler, with the help of his right-hand man (Theo Rossi as the Watchman), begins to blackmail Ethan: if he does not let the suitcase and its contents pass, there will be fatal consequences. Meanwhile, detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) investigates a trail of blood left by the Traveler in LA.

It doesn't take long to realize that what Carry-On wants is an unashamed trash movie, because its simple premise contains elements that will resonate with anyone who has ever had a high-profile job. Dreamed of being the protagonist in a dangerous situation. Not only does the film encompass all the genres of the 2000s and 90s, but when it comes to new holiday releases, it seems like the platform is meant to serve as a counterpoint to lighter programming. But the key word here is really "uncompromising," because Collet-Serra and company aren't trying to conquer any mountains. They're here to deliver a pleasantly suspenseful and truly simple pressure cooker with a notable cast and a little bit of action to add some sauce to your favorite Christmas dinner.

Speaking of the cast (assembled by casting directors Chelsea Ellis Brock and Marisol Roncalli), there's one exception to the faint praise, but there's enough jet fuel pumping into the engine to get the movie to its destination. Egerton, despite playing against earphones and the screen for the majority of the 110-minute runtime, does a good job in his role as a common man, fluently expressing how Ethan examines his morality and comes to terms with his hero complex. Bateman provides a nice balance with a quietly menacing capitalist villain, but Deadwyler slowly and eventually introduces more disturbing elements as Elena's investigation draws closer to Ethan and the Traveler.

Dean Norris (as Ethan's boss Phil Sulkowski) and Sinqua Walls (as his colleague and friend Jason Noble) round out Ethan's journey with some fantastic character acting elements, the former especially delivering some razor-edged witty remarks. Carson, however, is the aforementioned exception, as the actor's wooden speaking style and facial expressions make him seem rather incompetent compared to everyone else. Admittedly, Fixman's script doesn't even give her the bare minimum to do, but when it cuts to Nora, the film can't cut fast enough either.

Thematically and character-wise, Carry On is nothing special, but it does enough to get you to work with Ethan to find a solution - although his wanting to be a police officer is an almost inexcusable reason for exclusion, and you initially support the traveller instead, and the film's ending is simply torturous in its predictability and monotony. Otherwise, it's the same old story about ambition, battle of intellects, fearlessness and (holiday) spirit, just with different baggage.

Collet-Serra slightly improves on the basics by maintaining an interesting and lively tone throughout, while still getting some amazing acting from him and cinematographer Lyle Vincent Egerton... that is, capturing the characters from every angle. The shooting of this scene could have caused editors Elliot Greenberg, Fred Raskin and Christian Maidik to suffer several life-threatening aneurysms. Meanwhile, composer Lorne Balfe's score is disappointing and forgettablely mushy on autopilot, but at least the action is appropriately silly, if occasionally satisfying. As soon as you see the shots of the assembly line, your heart starts racing and you're happy to see them finally put to good use. There's also an elaborate sequence involving cars driving down a highway, where everything outside sounds too video game-like for our tastes, but the ambition is respectable.

Most importantly, one might say the film succeeds in landing the plane in a way that elevates the entire project from a tolerable streaming distraction to a reasonably memorable entertainment. It achieves this by ending with a refreshingly straightforward action scene between the main characters after a series of escalating events. This is trash film at its most satisfying, and sometimes that's exactly what you want in a destination. The actors and crew are enthusiastic, the story is compelling enough, and we, the audience, are gifted with a fun little getaway.