A great thriller lives and dies by its complexity. Films like All the president’s men or Blow out Create intricate, detailed worlds full of secrets that will captivate you before leaving you at the center of the labyrinth, where you can relax in the days that follow. However, a solid B-thriller is all about simplicity. These are films like Taken And Telephone booth which you may not necessarily want to wear, but never say no if you find them on cable. What makes these films so entertaining and endlessly rewatchable is the way they wring every last bit of mystery and tension out of a deceptively simple premise. And Hand luggageNetflix’s new Christmas airport thriller is as solid a B-thriller as you’ll find.

The film follows Ethan (Taron Egerton), a bored TSA agent who dreams of becoming a police officer. But while he’s working at LAX, he’s determined to put as little thought into his work as possible, much to the dismay of his newly pregnant girlfriend (Sofia Carson), who would be happy with a promotion or finally joining the LAPD. Unfortunately for Ethan’s minimal effort, during a Christmas Eve shift at the X-ray machine, he receives an earpiece that a terrorist (Jason Bateman) uses to tell him that his girlfriend will die if he doesn’t let a specific bag through the machine.

This entire facility takes less than 10 minutes to communicate, and now we begin a witty duel between Ethan and a terrorist with a massive advantage and an eye on every security camera in LAX. Director Jaume Collet-Serra is a master of these cable thrillers – with his shark survival film Blake Lively The shallows He’s a particular standout – but it’s these earliest moments where he’s at his best.

While some films’ plots unfold and gradually reveal themselves to the audience, Collet-Serra’s thrillers feel like watching someone do origami, with every wrinkle of the plot decisive, precise and surprisingly complicated is. His protagonists start with the simple, obvious moves: Ethan tries to call the police on his cell phone under the table and send a text message with his Apple Watch, but both are stopped immediately; Now the folds have to be more delicate and complicated. Suddenly we’re knee-deep in secret messages, nerve agents, airport codes and TSA tricks, and Collet-Serra accompanies us wonderfully with every new revelation or twist in the story.

But for all of Collet-Serra’s talents in this particular subgenre, Hand luggage‘s true strength lies in the performances of its two leads. Egerton and Bateman are either on screen or talking for almost every moment of the film’s two-hour running time, and yet every delivery and airport move crackles with energy until the inevitable, decisive showdown.

Egerton has appeared as a leading man on a number of occasions, whether as a spy in Matthew Vaughn’s “Kingsman” films or as Elton John in “Kingsman.” Rocket ManBut Hand luggage is the first time the 35-year-old actor has really shown his age and proven he can play an older character with a slower, less suave brand of action. He gives a calm, determined performance here that only leaves you hoping he returns for similar roles in all areas of the seemingly dull service – perhaps he and Collet-Serra can team up for a notary thriller next since Ben Affleck the accounting trail already covered?

The real treat here, however, is Jason Bateman, who gets to play the sinister role in a way he was never actually allowed to Ozark lets him dip his toe in the pool of villainy every now and then. It’s a straight-up, straightforwardly evil character that we’ve rarely seen in thrillers in the last decade: he’s just a guy who’s here to get paid and who kills a lot of people. But Bateman plays the character with a panache that cleverly disguises how much this guy enjoys his evil work and that he’s good at it. His terrorist is always one step ahead and more than happy watching people like Ethan play games that Bateman’s character is already sure he has won.

Considering how great both leads are, it should come as no surprise that there’s the only truly tumultuous break Hand luggageThe otherwise excellent tension arises when the film interrupts its central duel and introduces a policewoman (Danielle Deadwyler) who accidentally gets caught in the middle of the action. As with so many of these thrillers, the cop character feels both like an unwelcome distraction from the film’s main event and is an integral part of pulling together a plot that’s more about creating an entertaining premise than a meaningful mystery. But it’s hard to blame the film for a mediocre conclusion when the journey there was just as much fun as it was Hand luggage‘S.

In another era, this is the kind of movie that when you come home for the holidays you find out your parents have seen it six or seven times simply because it’s on TNT and they watch it every time see it, stop searching for channels. And who could blame them? Hand luggage is a lot of fun. It won’t blow you away, it won’t replace you Die Hard as your father’s favorite winking answer What is your favorite Christmas movie?but it will entertain you and any other viewers every time you turn it on. It’s just a shame you’ll never be able to catch it halfway through on cable TV.

Hand luggage is now streaming on Netflix.