My quick rating – 6.6/10. Fight or Flight is one of those movies where I saw the trailer while tossing it into my weekly “upcoming movies” slider and thought, “Yeah, that looks like it’ll scratch the itch.” And sure enough, it does. The setup is simple with Lucas (Josh Hartnett), a mercenary with the sort of résumé that definitely comes with hazard pay, taking on what should be a straightforward job. Track down a target on a plane. But when said target becomes the center of a murderous free-for-all at 30,000 feet, Lucas suddenly becomes the unwilling guardian of a person everyone else on board is trying to kill. Naturally, chaos follows.
Brooks McLaren and D. J. Cotrona put together an enjoyable storyline—nothing groundbreaking, but solid enough to give the frenzy some shape. The plot twists are predictable, and the themes aren’t exactly deep, but honestly, that’s part of the charm. This isn’t a film pretending to be more than it is. It knows it’s here to deliver punches, quips, and blood spray, and it does so proudly.
Because most of the film’s action stays confined to the plane, the movie leans hard into frantic brawls, hand-to-hand chaos, and “grab whatever’s within arm’s reach and hit someone with it” fight choreography. That approach works far better than it has any right to. The action is consistently energetic, sometimes outright hilarious, and always inventive. And when a few idiots decide it’s smart to pull out guns inside a pressurized metal tube, things escalate in the kind of over-the-top fashion that made the ’90s action era so fun. Someone even finds a chainsaw in the cargo hold—because why not? I won’t lie. The second that thing revved up, I knew director James Madigan understood the assignment.
Madigan doesn’t shy away from bloodshed either. The film isn’t a gorefest, but it absolutely doesn’t skimp. Between the messy kills, the frantic melees, and a surprising amount of creativity in how bodies hit walls, seats, and occasionally in the luggage bin, it delivers exactly what a movie like this should. The action set pieces are excellently choreographed, fast but readable, and they keep the momentum high. The pacing is another strong point. No long stretches of dead air, no tedious detours. It moves quickly and confidently from one skirmish to the next.
Josh Hartnett is clearly having a blast, and his chemistry with Charithra Chandran brings some unexpected warmth to the carnage. Their connection gives the film a little emotional glue without slowing things down. When a movie features both chainsaw duels and surprisingly sweet character moments, you know it’s aiming for “fun first, logic second,” and it lands right where it should.
Fight or Flight is silly, stylish, packed with energy, and built for audiences who just want a good time. It’s absolutely set up for a sequel, and I’m sure it’s coming. For an over-the-top airborne assassination extravaganza, this one delivers.
