Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” plays out as we pan down from the sky to find a mysterious man we’ll know only as Traveler (Jason Bateman) arriving to make a deal for an ominous suitcase, murdering everyone on sight before he acquires it. Within moments, Jaume Collet-Serra establishes the new Netflix action thriller Carry-On as festive fanfare that doesn’t fuck around. Having spent the last half-decade navigating the studio blockbuster minefield with Jungle Cruise and Black Adam, Collet-Serra’s latest sees the director return to what he does best: a mid-budget programmer with genuine, everyday characters in drastic situations and a little more on its mind than you’d expect.

Traveler, played by Bateman with ruthless efficiency and sinister smarm, refers to himself as a “freelance facilitator.” His latest job: get that suitcase through airport security and onto a plane for surely nefarious means.