How did Carry-On manage to pull off that impressive car crash sequence?

In Carry-On, an action movie largely set in an airport, one of the most impactful fight sequences takes place in a moving vehicle on the highway. Dave Macomber, the stunt coordinator, shared that he had experience choreographing fight scenes in parked cars, but this situation on wheels posed a new challenge. "That one in particular was complicated," Macomber commented about the car accident scene. "The demand was for it to be a continuous shot inside a moving vehicle on the road."

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Carry-On features Taron Egerton as Ethan Kopek, a TSA agent who must oversee security on Christmas Eve. A mysterious traveler played by Jason Bateman blackmails Ethan, forcing him to allow a potentially dangerous package through security and onto a plane, under the threat of killing his pregnant girlfriend, Nora, portrayed by Sofia Carson.

In the car sequence, Detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) and Agent Alcott (Logan Marshall-Green) head to the airport to investigate a possible crisis related to Kopek. Upon discovering Alcott's false identity, Cole draws her weapon and demands answers, but Alcott, realizing he's been found out, attacks, leading to an intense struggle for control of the gun.

Collet-Serra, with ample experience in this type of film, entrusted Macomber with the task of creating a continuous fight scene in a confined space. To prepare, Macomber used motion capture suits to recreate the fight in his own home, allowing him to design the fight so that the audience could follow the events happening outside the vehicle at the right moments. "We had a process where we did all the motion capture and sent it to Jaume. Then he received feedback, and we continued revising," he added.

Macomber, a veteran in executing stunts for action films, has worked on numerous high-profile projects, including Avengers: Endgame, Jungle Cruise, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In Carry-On, he also took on the role of second unit director, reflecting an increase in his responsibilities that he values highly. "I'm in a responsible position for people who are my friends and who are potentially in danger all the time. The truth is that this motivates me to be in this position because I've seen enough things go wrong, and I don't want it to happen to my friends," he stated.

Moreover, many stunt performers, such as Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, and Sam Hargrave, have achieved remarkable success as action directors. Macomber notes that the versatility of stunt performers contributes to their abilities as directors. "People like Chad, Dave, and Sam have a wealth of information at their disposal. When it comes time to sit in the main chair, they are well-trained because they've been doing this behind the scenes for a long time," he added.

Macomber also expressed his interest in directing feature-length films in the future, inspired by the success of his colleagues. "I want it," he stated. "There are many of us today watching the success of those guys and saying, 'Wow.' It's impressive to see people getting those opportunities." Carry-On is now available for streaming on Netflix.