The equally silly “Carry-On” puts its bad guy, credited as Traveler, in LAX with his mark, TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton from “Rocketman”). Ethan’s in the wrong place at the wrong time; Traveler had originally intended to blackmail the co-worker who usually mans one of the carry-on scanners. But, after pestering his boss, Phil (Dean Norris), to give him a chance at a promotion, Ethan gets the unfortunate gig.
Traveler communicates his threats via an earpiece a woman finds abandoned in one of those small buckets the TSA uses for jewelry and wallets. Why Ethan decides to stick a random piece of personal electronics into his ear is a question the screenplay by T.J. Fixman and Michael Green fails to answer. This action occurs before his first interaction with Traveler.
Once Ethan plugs himself in, however, the unmistakable voice of Jason Bateman booms on the soundtrack.
Doing his best Ghostface from “Scream” voice, Traveler barks his one demand: There’s a guy named Mateo (Tonatiuh) coming through security with a carry-on, and he must be cleared regardless of what Ethan sees in that bag. Ethan’s inquiries about the contents go unanswered; perhaps it has something to do with the Russians we see murdered by Traveler during the opening credits.
Ethan has much to lose, the least of which are his job and his chance to work for the Los Angeles Police Department. His work and life partner, TSA bigwig Nora (Sofia Carson), is under surveillance and in constant threat of being murdered if Ethan doesn’t follow instructions. Handling that job is Traveler’s partner who, I kid you not, is named Watcher (Theo Rossi). Watcher drives a van filled with screens that tap into all of LAX’s cameras. He also has an unidentified man bound and gagged in the back, whom we see every time there’s a scene inside that van.
I’ve only described the first 15 minutes of “Carry-On.” Collet-Serra’s movies favor an overstuffed plot full of ideas and situations that blatantly defy or ignore logic. For example, see “Orphan,” the 2009 horror movie where a murderous preteen turned out to be older than the parents who adopted her.
What makes the director’s films work is twofold: He hires actors who are game for whatever chicanery the plot employs, and he keeps the pacing brisk enough to keep us from contemplating the absurd details until after the credits roll. Egerton makes a fine Everyman, and Carson is more than just a damsel in distress. Bateman savors every single line he utters, and the film is smart enough to put Traveler in physical contact with Ethan early and often.
Even the cops are less frustrating than usual in this type of movie. The 5-0 is led by “The Piano Lesson”’s Danielle Deadwyler, rocking a short hairdo and a stare that could cut glass. She also has a great fight sequence in a small, enclosed space (another of Collet-Serra’s trademarks) — this one takes place in a speeding car that crashes mid-fight.
Though I could easily predict what’s coming next in “Carry-On,” that didn’t stop me from having a good time. The twists were executed successfully, and I liked that the heroic characters did some unlikable things in order to save themselves. I also appreciated that the plot lifts a ridiculous story element from the massively enjoyable 2006 Samuel L. Jackson flop, “Snakes on a Plane.” And no, it’s not the snakes.
★★★
CARRY-ON
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. Written by T.J. Fixman and Michael Green. Starring Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Danielle Deadwyler, Sofia Carson, Theo Rossi, Tonatiuh, Dean Norris. 119 minutes. On Netflix. PG-13 (enough violence to get this carry-on gate-checked)
Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe’s film critic.
