Fight or Flight: An Adventure In Well-Choreographed Chaos

At the movies, sometimes audiences don’t want to have to think, they just want to be entertained and for the most part, Fight or Flight succeeds at that. Not exactly what one would consider highbrow entertainment, it’s a film that is well aware of what it is and doesn’t try to be anything more. And that self-awareness leads the film to not waste anytime, giving what audiences want which is pure, unadulterated chaos. With that, the comparisons to 2022’s Bullet Train are inevitable, each being mode of transportation set action comedies. Unlike the former, this mid-budget effort does hold its own in spite of its different circumstances and fully embraces the chaos over the course of its 100+ minute runtime. On one hand, the film is a blast to watch but on the other, it is incredibly silly and ridiculous more often than not because it is clear that one cannot exist without the other, when it comes to films like this. In the end, it is all about finding the right balance between the two and not tipping the scales too far in the wrong direction. In the case of the action, banter, and laughs, it is more than enough to forgive its silly side. Delivering the right amount of well-choreographed chaos, the Josh Hartnett renaissance continues as he is having a blast himself as a smooth-talking, washed-up mercenary who can still hold his own.

As far as explaining Fight or Flight, the premise essentially doesn’t matter. The title does most of the heavy lifting as the majority of the film takes place on a plane going from Bangkok, Thailand to San Francisco, California. Looking for a notorious cyber criminal known as ‘The Ghost,’ Katherine Brunt (Sackhoff), the head of the station of an unspecified clandestine agency, enlisted a mercenary and her ex, Lucas Reyes (Hartnett) to assist in mission to retrieve ‘The Ghost’ and bring them back to her alive. Saddled with major trust issues following a heated breakup, they were certainly not fond of one another. Years later and now exiled to Bangkok as a result of his past, Katherine offering Lucas a lifeline but their collective baggage made for a strained dynamic. Given a tip that ‘The Ghost’ would be on that plane, Lucas was put on that flight. As the identity of the cybercriminal remained a mystery, it would be up to Lucas to identify his target and protect them until the flight lands. Encountering plenty of characters over the course of the flight, the one that stood out the most was a young flight attendant named Isha (Chandran), who was more than she seemed. It did not take long for Lucas to put the pieces together.

With his target acquired, it was all about survival as the plane was still many hours away from its final destination. Forced to navigate yet another complicated dynamic, the contrast presented by Lucas and Isha made for a fun pair to watch as they grew and evolved. In the midst of that, the plan harbored hoards of assassins of all shapes and sizes. The not knowing of who they could be or where they could come from added to the chaos, and the excitement, as the film employed its setting in inventive ways across countless well-choreographed fight scenes. Taking and delivering hits all over the plane, Lucas proved to be up to the task but that did not mean those hits weren’t taking a toll on him. Working together with Isha, and the rest of the flight crew, their collective underdog dynamic made for a compelling subtext. While the survival angle would have easily been enough, the film decides to add more stakes for its final act, flying it further into ridiculous territory. Choosing to double down on ridiculousness is not a new concept though in doing so, it grasps at whatever it can to mine new ground for a potential sequel. And to the film’s credit, the result somehow works.

Despite its lesser budget, Fight or Flight can hold its own. On a technical level, the film offers up a palpable chaotic energy that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Mostly taking place within the confines of a plane, it becomes another character in the story through its many facets and intricacies. Making the most out of its setting, it keeps the film from becoming too repetitive. Meanwhile, the camerawork gives it a great sense of pace, slowing down, speeding up, and everything in between, in maintaining its chaotic energy. The action is as fast paced as it is brutal, leaving a decent body count in its wake. Be it hand-to-hand combat, shoot outs, or whatever weapons were available at the time, the film’s action set pieces were very well shot.

Above all else, what bring the film together is Hartnett’s effortless charm and energy as Lucas. Understanding the assignment, he looked to be having a blast on screen, never taking things too seriously as he fully commits to what was asked of him. He is an absolute blast to watch and easy to root for. Essentially taking up all the oxygen here, he truly steers the ship. That being said, Chandran holds her own as Isha, having strong chemistry with Hartnett’s Lucas. Sackhoff, and pretty much everyone else for that matter, do their thing and move on in an unmemorable fashion. Simply means to an end, they were fine and did their job.

At the end of the day, Fight or Flight is an entertaining action comedy that thrives within its well-choreographed chaos thanks to a stellar Josh Hartnett.

Score: 78/100 

still courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.