Movie Review: Carry-On (2024)

Genre: Thriller  

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra  

Starring: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Jason Bateman, Danielle Deadwyler  

Running Time: 119 minutes  

Synopsis: Ethan (Taron Egerton) lost all career ambition when he was rejected by the police academy, and is now satisfied with a do-minimum attitude as a Los Angeles airport security agent. While operating a luggage screening machine, he is contacted through an earpiece by "the Traveler" (Jason Bateman), who threatens to harm Ethan's pregnant wife Nora (Sofia Carson) unless a carry-on bag containing a biological weapon is allowed onto a departing plane. Ethan has to find a way to save Nora and the passengers from harm, while FBI Agent Elena (Danielle Deadwyler) rushes to investigate.

What Works Well: The production values are glossy, and the action maintains tension with breathless pacing. Jason Bateman is effective in an atypical villainous role, and the bustling setting around the airport security screening area provides a dynamic backdrop.

What Does Not Work As Well: The flimsy premise does not deserve anywhere near two hours of treatment, and the material is stretched with ever increasing doses of incredulity. The plot starts on the shaky foundation of a well-resourced but barely explained conspiracy bottlenecked by one scanning machine, but the plot holes only get larger as the meek Ethan activates his inner John McClane. In an unfortunate role, Danielle Deadwyler runs around issuing orders but is bamboozled by others at every turn.

Key Quote:

Traveler (to Ethan): All you have to do... is nothing.



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Movie Review: Till (2022)

Genre: Biographical Drama  

Director: Chinonye Chukwu  

Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Whoopi Goldberg, Haley Bennett  

Running Time: 130 minutes  

Synopsis: In 1955, Mamie Till (Danielle Deadwyler) lives in Chicago with her 14 year-old son Emmett (Jalyn Hall). Encouraged by his grandma (Whoopi Goldberg) to discover his roots, Emmett is excited about an upcoming solo trip to visit cousins in rural Mississippi. Mamie is uncomfortable being separated from her son and worried about his safety in the overtly racist south. In the small town of Money, Mississippi, Emmett inadvertently insults a white store keeper (Haley Bennett), triggering bigoted rage and a subsequent quest for social justice.

What Works Well: Based on actual events, director and co-writer Chinonye Chukwu crafts a dramatic profile of a woman thrust into activism by tragedy. Emmett's harrowing ordeal is treated with respect, the hatred he suffered channeled through Mamie's insistence that the world witness the carnage on his body. In the complex central role, Danielle Deadwyler navigates a range of transformations starting with worry and ending with defiance, passing through the worst type of grief a mother can experience. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The singular focus on Mamie's perspectives, actions, and emotions is insufficient to sustain 130 minutes of drama. Most of the scenes linger for too long, and many repeatedly stomp over the same emotional notes. The secondary characters, racist villains, social context, and courtroom drama are relegated to stock representations and conveyed with mechanical disinterest. The glossy sets lack realistic grit, while the music digs into the trench of obvious emotions.

Conclusion: One strong woman in deep focus, surrounded by sketches.



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