Carry-Onis the latest thriller from acclaimed director Jaume Collet-Serra, following an unlucky security officer at LAX who’s unwillingly pulled into an international conspiracy when a suspicious suitcase turns up on his shift. The film stars Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman in two very different roles, with the latter ditching his typical comedy for a gritter, more villainous character that helps drive this story forward. It’s one ofNetflix’s best current movies, and it pays homage to a classic style of action/thriller storytelling.
WhileCarry-Onhas a very original story that’s filled with twists and turns all the way through, it also feels very familiar -it’s the kind of mid-budget thriller that isn’t made all that frequently anymorebut was very popular throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s. As such,Carry-Onfeels very reminiscent of those kinds of modern classics, using a couple of down-to-earth performances and some creative plot twists to keep the audience engaged despite the film’s fairly simple narrative.Carry-Onreally soars during its ending, when Collet-Serra fully leans into this high-octane style.
Panic Room
Cast
Panic Room is a thriller directed by David Fincher, featuring Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter trapped in their home’s secure panic room during a violent home invasion. As they seek safety, the intruders pursue their own hidden agenda centered on the room.
Fincher’sPanic Roomis one of the director’s lesser-known projects, but it’s undeniably one of his most exciting. The film stars Kristen Stewart and Jodie Foster as a mother and daughter who hide in their panic room when their house is broken into, but the burglars soon reveal their intentions to be much darker and more serious than a regular robbery.
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What’s so brilliant aboutPanic Roomis the wayFincher takes such a simple story and elevates it with slick direction, sharp writing, and two powerful performances that make everything feel authentic despite the melodrama of it all.Carry-Onadopts a very similar approach, taking a concept that feels slightly exaggerated on paper but making it gripping by fully committing to the story.
The Guilty
Jake Gyllenhall stars as an LAPD officer Joe Baylor in The Guilty, a crime thriller remake of the 2018 film set in a 911 responder’s call center who finds himself the only hope of an abducted woman who reaches out for help. The film occurs between the call center and the abduction scene as Joe attempts to reach out to her family members to rescue her. However, the truth behind the woman’s abduction will shake the officer’s core as he tries to understand the chaotic series of events.
Antoine Fuqua is best known for the more action-packed thrillers in his filmography, including projects such asThe EqualizerandTraining Day, butThe Guiltyis a much more restrained and low-stakes thriller that’s equally exciting.The movie follows a 911 dispatch officer who receives a suspicious callthat he can’t quite shake, leading him down a dangerous road of mysteries and hidden messages to help save the life of the young woman on the other end of the line.
The Guiltyis loosely inspired by true events, and that’s obvious through Fuqua’s very grounded and attentive depiction of this story.Carry-On’s first act takes a very similar approach, and while it’s not based on truth, it still feels incredibly real as it’s balancing on the chemistry between Egerton and Bateman’s character’s conversations.
Buried
Buried is a thriller film starring Ryan Reynolds by director Rodrigo Cortes. The film follows Reynolds as Paul Conroy, an Iraq-based American trucker who is attacked by a group of Iraqi insurgents, only to wake up and find he is now buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter, a pen, and his cell phone, Paul must find a way to reach the outside world and stay alive long enough for the government to rescue him.
The Buriedis often remembered for Ryan Reynolds’ fierce lead performance, but the film itself doesn’t get enough credit for its precise storytelling and incredible ability to create tension at the drop of a hat.The narrative centers around a US soldier who awakens in a dusty coffintrapped several feet underground, with nothing but a cell phone and a lighter to figure out how to save himself from impending death.
It’s Reynolds’ charming and visceral performance that makes the audience care about his well-being, just like Egerton’s character inCarry-On.
Buriedis one ofRyan Reynolds’ best movies, primarily because of how simple and authentic it feels. It doesn’t rely on international espionage or high-stakes threats to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, but rather the life of a single character who’s in obvious danger. It’s Reynolds’ charming and visceral performance that makes the audience care about his well-being, just like Egerton’s character inCarry-On.
Red Eye
Red Eye (2005) is a suspense thriller directed by Wes Craven, featuring Rachel McAdams as Lisa Reisert, a hotel manager who becomes entangled in a plot orchestrated by Jackson Rippner, played by Cillian Murphy. The film’s tension builds during a red-eye flight, where Lisa must thwart a scheme that threatens not only her life but also the lives of others.
Wes Craven’sRed Eyeis very different from the rest of the director’s filmography, ditching the supernatural monsters and gory slashers for a much more personal, tangible story about a plane that’s hijacked by a terrorist. The narrative is told from the perspective of Rachel McAdams’ character Lisa, who unknowingly befriends the killer before he takes over the plane and attempts to kill an important American diplomat.
Red Eyeshares many important themes withCarry-On, although it’s much more overt and obvious in its action. The latter spends more time building tension and intrigue regarding the contents of the mysterious case, while Craven’s film is action-packed from the beginning. It also features one of Cillian Murphy’s most playful and entertaining performances as Jackson, the terrorist who takes control of the flight.
Non-Stop
Non-Stop is a thriller featuring Liam Neeson as U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks. During a transatlantic flight, Marks receives a series of threatening text messages that endanger passengers' lives and demands a large ransom. The film delves into the ensuing tense and escalating situation, as Marks must identify and stop the perpetrator before disaster strikes. Co-starring Julianne Moore, Non-Stop is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.
Carry-Onis somewhat of a return to form for Jaume Collet-Serra, who made a name for himself as an emerging voice in mid-budget thrillers before moving over to blockbuster projects likeJungle CruiseandBlack Adam.Non-Stopwas one of his earlier films, starring Liam Neeson as a US air marshal who finds himself blackmailed to transfer huge amounts of money to an offshore account in exchange for his passengers’ lives.
Non-Stopwas the second of four current collaborations between Liam Neeson and filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra
Much like Collet-Serra’s latest film,Non-Stopis a masterclass in how to create tension using nothing but sharp dialogue between two excellent actors. Nothing groundbreaking happens untilNon-Stop’sending, and the majority of the film consists of dramatic conversations that plant the seeds of the action that’s to follow. It’s a formula that Collet-Serra has stuck to for a long time, but it almost always works.
The Call
The Call is a thriller directed by Brad Anderson, starring Halle Berry as a veteran 911 operator. When she receives a call from a kidnapped teenager, played by Abigail Breslin, she takes it upon herself to ensure the girl’s safe return. The suspenseful storyline highlights the intense responsibilities and quick decision-making required in emergency response situations.
The Callis another film whose tension and excitement are mostly created through gripping phone calls with other characters, much likeCarry-On. The film centers around a dispatch officer who uses her many years of experience to figure out the location of a kidnapped girl via several calls with important witnesses.
Much likeThe Guilty,Anderson’s film is bolstered by its lead performance- in this case, from Halle Berry. She’s the only character on the screen for the majority of the story, with the rest of the cast only providing their voice for the telephone calls. It’s a story that shouldn’t be anywhere near as exciting as it is on paper, but Anderson’s dynamic direction and Berry’s palpable compassion really make it work.
Speed
In Jan de Bont’s 1994 action thriller Speed, LAPD officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) works alongside passenger Annie (Sandra Bullock) to safely stop a bus that will explode if it goes below 50 mph.
Speedis one of thebest action films of the 1990s, and it’s only gotten better with age. With Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in the lead roles,Jan de Bont’s movie follows a city bus that’s rigged with explosivesby a dangerous terrorist, who threatens to explode the device if the vehicle’s speed falls below a certain threshold.
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Netflix’s Carry-On is finally here, and since the film is full of holiday songs, here is a full breakdown of the Carry-On soundtrack and music.
What makesSpeedwork so effectively is the constant possibility of the bomb setting off - even if the audience knows it’s not really going to happen. De Bont’s direction always ensures that threat is lingering in the background, and the lead performances from Reeves and Bullock do a great job of capturing the constant terror of the situation.
Phone Booth
Phone Booth, directed by Joel Schumacher, follows a New York publicist who answers a ringing phone in a booth and receives a chilling ultimatum: if he hangs up, he will be killed. The threat is underscored by a laser rifle sight, proving the caller’s deadly seriousness.
Phone Boothis undeniably the film that’s drawn the most comparisons toCarry-On, as their plots are surprisingly similar. Schumacher’s film centers around a man named Stu (played by Colin Farrell), who takes a call from an unknown number in a phone booth and is forced to comply with his caller’s increasingly dangerous and destructive demands if he wants to stay alive. LikeCarry-On,the film explores how far people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones.
The entirety ofPhone Boothconsists of conversations between Farrell’s protagonist and Keifer Sutherland’s elusive villain on the other side of the phone, as the two enter a battle of wits despite never looking each other in the eyes.
The entirety ofPhone Boothconsists of conversations between Farrell’s protagonist and Keifer Sutherland’s elusive villain on the other side of the phone, as the two enter a battle of wits despite never looking each other in the eyes. The whole film runs on the electric dynamic between these two actors, in a very similar vein toCarry-On’s tension between Egerton and Bateman’s characters.
Collateral
Directed by Michael Mann, the crime thriller Collateral features Tom Cruise as a hitman hired to take out witnesses before a big trial and Jamie Foxx as the cab driver who unwittingly becomes his accomplice. With Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, and Javier Bardem in its cast, the 2004 film received critical acclaim for its direction, performances, and suspenseful plot.
Nobody can direct a thriller like Michael Mann, andCollateralis one of his most intense and gripping stories to date. The film centers around Jamie Foxx’s character, a taxi driver named Max, who picks up a dangerous client and ends up involved in a brutal assassination after realizing he’s been hired by a hitman.Collateralfeatures one ofTom Cruise’s best performancesas the eccentric Vincent, the assassin who finds himself in a dangerous conflict with Max’s moral compass.
The best part ofCollateral, beyond the dynamic between Cruise and Fox’s well-written characters, is the film’s ability to constantly increase the danger levels at any given moment. Whenever the audience thinks the film has reached its peak intensity,Collateralgoes even further and raises the stakes even higher. This makes for an unbeatable viewing experience, and Mann somehow ties all the loose ends together in the film’s explosive ending.
Die Hard
Die Hard follows NYPD officer John McClane as he attempts to rescue hostages, including his estranged wife, from terrorists who have overtaken a Los Angeles skyscraper. Released in 1988, this action film is noted for its central character’s resourcefulness and determination in overcoming overwhelming odds with limited assistance.
Carry-Onhas already faced several comparisons to well-loved Christmas films thanks to its festive setting, but there’s one holiday movie that it seems closer to than any other. John McTiernan’sDie Hardis a classic of the action genre, centering around an LA Detective on Christmas Eve who enters into a dangerous hostage situation in order to save his wife and everybody she works with.
The similarities betweenCarry-OnandDie Hardare obvious: they’re both set on Christmas Eve, they both feature main characters whose love interests are used as hostages, and they both center around terrorists who force the protagonist to comply with their plans to save civilian lives. McTiernan’s classic was obviously an inspiration forCarry-On, and Collet-Serra’s film does a great job of living up to its festive legacy.
Carry-On
Carry On is a film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, focusing on a young TSA agent who is coerced by a mysterious traveler into allowing a dangerous package onto a Christmas Eve flight. As events unfold, he must use his wits to resolve the perilous situation.
