Fight or Flight

The types of roles available for actors in movies seem to be dwindling. While TV is getting all the great adult roles, it feels like actors looking to work in film have fewer and fewer sandboxes to play in. Marvel, of course, offers a big one, but the other move is to chew some bubble gum and kick some ass—and it seems like everyone’s all out of bubble gum. Joining the likes of Bob Odenkirk, Ke Huy Quan, Jack Quaid, and Keanu Reeves, Josh Hartnett has entered the one-man-army brigade in Fight or Flight, as he tries to survive the plane trip from hell.

Lucan Reyes (Josh Hartnett) is enjoying his time in Bangkok, drinking his life away while on the run from something in his past. But the thing about running is, eventually, slow down enough to get found—and in Lucan’s case, he’s found by the last person he wanted to see: his ex, Katherine (Katee Sackhoff). She needs his help and offers him his old life back, the one he had before everything fell apart. All he has to do is board a plane and find a mysterious figure known only as “The Ghost,” who happens to be one of the most wanted people in the world.

Lucan isn’t the only one looking for The Ghost, though. It turns out just about every hired killer in the business is also on this flight. With the help of flight attendant Isha (Charithra Chandran), Lucan combs through the passenger manifest in an effort to track down his target. But when things go haywire, Lucan is forced to rely on his fists—and anything else he can find—to survive the flight.

Written by Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona, Fight or Flight turns a commercial airplane into a gladiatorial arena, and the results are exactly what you’d expect. There’s blood, bruises, and a healthy dose of dark comedy to make it all go down easier.

This film knows exactly what it is and, thankfully, never takes itself too seriously. That said, the people behind it clearly put in the work. The stunt team deserves special praise—the fight scenes are top-notch and allowed to breathe, which is why you won’t even question how a chainsaw ended up on a plane in the first place.

Fight or Flight soars when it keeps the action moving and only hits a little turbulence when the story gets heavier toward the end. This is everything you want from B-cinema: fast-paced, bloody, and a whole lot of fun. Clocking in at just over ninety minutes, it’s a crowd-pleasing ride. Coming off Trap, Hartnett reminds us why he was so beloved during his late-’90s and early-2000s run. His charm and fists lead the way, and there’s a playful energy to his performance that carries through the entire film.

There’s no doubt Hartnett had a blast playing this role, and that enjoyment is infectious. We’ve seen a lot of these one-man-versus-the-world action flicks lately, but they’re not all created equal. Fight or Flight ranks among the better of them. Sure, you’ve got plenty of action movies to choose from—but you’ll be glad you took this flight with Josh and crew on this wild ride. Just don’t forget to check your chainsaw—you never know when it’ll come in handy.