Netflix has released a multitude of films for this Christmas, but the best has turned out to be one that only uses this holiday as a backdrop to build one of the best action thrillers of the last year. Clearly indebted to ‘Die Hard’ although with a plot that is more similar to that of ‘The Jungle 2: Red Alert’I am referring to ‘Hand luggage’the new feature film from the Spanish Jaume Collet-Serra.

The premise of ‘Carry-on Luggage’ is very simple: a passenger with nefarious intentions blackmails a Transportation Security Administration agent at the Los Angeles airport to let a suitcase pass through checkpoints on Christmas Eve. Obviously, there is nothing good inside him, but his pregnant girlfriend’s life is at stake. Nothing revolutionary on this side, but the key, as always, is in the execution.

A vibrant hobby

Collet-Serra had already demonstrated his good work in this type of productions in his collaborations with Liam Neeson. In one of them –‘Non-Stop’– also used the threat to a plane, but there everything took place in the air, while here it focuses on everything that precedes takeoff. Here he returns on his own after the disappointment that was ‘Black Adam’ to offer us a great pastime. Pay particular attention to a certain scene inside a car…

There may be some holes in this script in this vibrant thriller, but it is also true that this is not a title that seeks the greatest possible verisimilitude. Instead, What matters here is entertainment and avoiding downtime at all costs. that can cause the viewer to disconnect from what is happening on the screen. Of course, at least there is a greater concern than usual for the viewer to empathize with its protagonist, something that suits the film very well.

It is true that Taron Egerton is far from channeling the same energy that he showed Bruce Willis in the masterpiece of John McTiernanbut that does not mean that he more than fulfills his role by giving life to a poor loser who has to make the best of himself in the face of an impossible situation. In addition, it has a major villain in a Jason Bateman which does connect quite well with his more Gruberian side.

I’m also not going to deceive you and tell you that this is an essential action movie, but I am quite clear that ‘Carry-on Luggage’ It is among the best that action cinema has not given in the last year and I will be delighted if films like this continue to come to us. Because it’s great to eat sirloin, but you also want a good hamburger from time to time. And if you also miss the action movies of the 90s, you will appreciate it even more.

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