The disposable-thriller sub-genre is real and one that Netflix excels at. A typical, stalwart example is Carry-On, an airport thriller with a wonderful premise. If a young TSA agent fails to let a catastrophic suitcase through security, his wife (also working in the airport) dies. And it is Christmas Eve. The premise is milked for all it is worth and milked well: the script by T.J. Fishman is contrived but gripping, and Jaume Collett-Serra’s direction is kinetic and immersive. However, what plucks Carry-On from the ruck is the performance of the two stars: Taron Egerton, as the victim, is refreshingly gauche yet smart (and of course physically effective), while Jason Bateman is hatefully indestructible as the genius villain. Anyone casting about for a brief jolt of adrenaline after a bruising day would be well satisfied by Carry-On.
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