Fight or Flight
Genre: Action
Directed by: James Madigam
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Katee Sackhoff, Charithra Chandran
Platform: Theaters
Release Date: May 9th, 2025
Rating: 3/5
By Stephen Lackey
“It’s no John Wick, but it scratches that same itch—just with less style and more shrug.”
There’s a specific vibe that’s been creeping through the action genre—one that really took off with Smokin’ Aces and Shoot ’Em Up. Think: constant camera spins, rapid-fire edits, slow-mo, and freeze frames played for laughs. Bullet Train doubled down on all of it with a mountain of visual effects. Now, Josh Hartnett steps into the chaos with FIGHT OR FLIGHT, directed by James Madigan—no stranger to spectacle, with Iron Man 2 and The Meg, under his belt.
Hartnett plays Lucas Reyes, a washed-up ex–Secret Service agent drowning in booze and regret, until a covert ops leader (Katee Sackhoff) pulls him out of hiding for one last job: take out a target on a commercial flight. Naturally, things go sideways fast. Turns out, the plane is crawling with mercenaries, all gunning for him and the target. There’s a backstory, sure—but it’s mostly just scaffolding to get us to the next set piece. And those set pieces? Loud, ridiculous, and fun!
To the film’s credit, FIGHT OR FLIGHT delivers some surprisingly solid action. Yes, the visuals are heavy on the CGI, but you do get glimpses of actual choreography—not just frantic cuts and digital smoke. Hartnett says the movie is made by the same folks behind John Wick, though it’s unclear what that actually means. Either way, the fight scenes land somewhere above your typical MCU brawl, but still miles below Wick-level finesse. Oh, and the plane? It’s massive. Miraculously empty, too, which is pretty convenient for all the shootouts and punch-ups. There’s gore—mostly CGI—but it leans into the absurd, and some of it is genuinely funny.
That’s where FIGHT OR FLIGHT finds its groove. The comedy mostly works. Hartnett pulls off the humor with charm, even if the script is a cookie-cutter action blueprint. You can see every “emotional growth” moment coming from a mile away, and when they arrive, they land with all the surprise of a Monday morning. The story itself? You’ll forget it by tomorrow.
Still, FIGHT OR FLIGHT is a decent time. It’s not aiming for greatness, and it knows it even if it doesn’t reach it. The VFX aren’t as obnoxious as Bullet Train, though the cast doesn’t pop as much either. Sackhoff, usually a highlight, feels totally miscast. But if you had fun with Bullet Train, odds are you’ll be entertained. It’s no John Wick, but it scratches that same itch—just with less style and more shrug.
