“Carry On” was one of Netflix's (many) holiday releases for 2024, but it was a far cry from the cheesy new romances like “Our Little Secret” and “Hot Frosty.”
Instead, director Jaume Collet-Serra's action film offered two hours of thrilling interactions between everyman TSA employee Ethan Kopec (Taron Egerton) and an unnamed “traveler” (Jason Bateman). While Ethan strives to prove himself at work, he finds himself being blackmailed into helping the Traveler smuggle a deadly package through inspection and onto a plane.
Kopec cooperates while secretly trying to thwart the Traveler's plans, resulting in an entertaining and confident thriller that easily grabs your attention with some fun set piece moments.
If you've already streamed the film and want more action, here are five more films like “Carry On.”
If you were thrilled by the “everyday cop takes on the world” vibe of “Carry On,” or the fact that it's a thriller set at Christmas, it makes sense to turn to the original Christmas thriller, “Die Hard.” John McClane (Bruce Willis) throws a Christmas Eve party at LA's Nakatomi Plaza. When a gang of thugs break in and take everyone hostage (including his ex-wife), McClane realizes that he is the only one who can save the day.
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Damian Chazelle wrote “Grand Piano” before bringing us “Whiplash,” “La La Land” and “Babylon.” Eugenio Mira's 2013 thriller introduces us to Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood), a concert pianist who has been absent from the stage due to severe stage fright. As Tom begins to play, he sees a warning scrawled on the sheet music: “One wrong move and you die. Soon he is wearing earphones and following the instructions of his would-be assassin, trying to locate him and ensure the safety of his girlfriend while keeping the concert running smoothly.
Rent/Buy on Amazon
Long before Ethan Kopec spent Christmas Eve being manipulated by a mysterious “traveler” in Carry On, arrogant publicist Stu Shepard, played by Colin Farrell, was in a pay phone booth (remember them?). The caller demands that Stu confess his infidelity to his wife. If he does not confess, he will be killed.
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Wes Craven directs this psycho-thriller. When she boards a red-eye flight to Miami for her grandmother's funeral, she takes a seat next to Jackson Lipner, a not-so-attractive man played by Cillian Murphy. After befriending him at the airport, Lipner reveals that he belongs to a terrorist group that plans to assassinate government officials, and that Lisa is an integral part of that plan. A tense struggle filled with psychological warfare ensues as Lisa does everything in her power to thwart his plans (“Carry On” certainly has repercussions).
Buy/Rent on Prime Video
If you want a 24-hour thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, follow “Carry On” with “Speed” In this thrilling 1994 film directed by Yann de Bont, LA SWAT officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves before “The Matrix”) confronts a bomb threat by Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper). Payne has planted a bomb on a city bus, set to go off if the bus goes below 50 miles per hour or if Jack (he sprints through the city and gets on the bus while it is moving) tries to get someone off the bus. It's a simple setup, but it creates serious, pulse-pounding action.
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