Whenever I hear a new movie described as “Die Hard with a twist,” I feel equal parts curious and dubious. That was my reaction when I read a review of Netflix’s holiday film, Carry-On.
I won’t bury the lead: I thoroughly enjoyed Carry-On. It’s intense, it’s creative, it has a very memorable action scene, and it generates conversations due to the tough questions it asks. It accomplishes all this without copying Die Hard (though the comparison is fair).
Carry-On’s lead character is Ethan Kopek (played by Taron Egerton), a TSA agent who is put in an impossible position by an unnamed antagonist played brilliantly by Jason Bateman. Bateman offers “one bag for one life,” telling Kopek to allow a carry-on bag through the TSA check or else he’ll kill someone Kopek loves.
That in itself is a great premise, because we can all see ourselves in that position. I won’t spoil what happens next, but I really appreciate the vast variety of ways–some subtle, some splashy–that Kopek tries to outwit Bateman.
Some secondary characters get involved, and its one of those characters who ends up in a truly spectacular (especially considering its brevity) action scene. I think you’ll know it when you see it.
Let me know your thoughts if you watch Carry-On! Do you have a favorite movie that feels a bit like Die Hard?
Just watched it, improbable last half hour aside, I really enjoyed it. And yeah that scene was epic. There’s is a how they made it on youtube now.
I’m glad you enjoyed it too! I’m going to find that behind-the-scenes video–thanks for mentioning it.