“My favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard” is a film bro stereotype at this point, but to be fair, Die Hard is a truly brilliant movie: the screenplay is tight as a drum, and Bruce Willis’ performance as John McClane is the unstoppable force to Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber’s immovable object. It’s so enduring because there aren’t really any other movies like it — not even the sequels.
But that may have changed this year with Carry-On, the latest movie from veteran thriller director Jaume Collet-Serra. It understands what makes the Die Hard model tick, and then builds on it with the perfect claustrophobic setting and a handful of barnburner performances.
