The Stream: The basic plot is the same as too many other movies.

The Big Screen: Exciting fight scenes and funny moments throughout.

The Final Bill: An exciting and silly action film that takes a basic plot and add originality in unexpected ways.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: James Madigan
Writers: Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Charithra Chandran, Katee Sackhoff, Julian Kostov
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some drug material.
Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
Production Companies: Asbury Park Productions, F or F Films, The Royal Budapest Film Co, Liam Jay Films, Thunder Road Pictures, Rocket Science, Vertical Entertainment
Platform: In theaters May 9, 2025
Notable Trailers: Ballerina, Together, The Roses, Megan 2.0, I Don’t Understand You, The Final Destination

Hey, Streamers! The Josh Hartnett resurgence continues with his new release, Fight or Flight. In this action thriller, Harnett plays Lucas Reyes, a blackballed, former Secret Service agent, who gets enlisted to track down a mysterious target called “the Ghost” on a flight from Bangkok to San Francisco. Reyes is tasked to locate the target and bring them to San Francisco alive. However, that would be too easy, wouldn’t it? Choregraphed fight sequences, chainsaws and gushing blood on a plane hijinks ensue.

Fight or Flight has a mix of the plots of many other movies – the John Wick series and Bullet Train immediately come to mind. I’m sure you could name a few others as well. Even though the plot is familiar, the filmmakers have peppered this film with enough originality for it to stand on its own. Harnett is an excellent choice to lead the film. He has the dexterity and wiliness to believably fight the attackers inevitable in this kind of film. He also projects the humor inherent in the situation. He’s very watchable and makes the ridiculousness of this film fun. Also, the fight scenes are very clever. The director has added unexpected twists in the action scenes that give this movie spice. Although you have an idea of what is going to happen, you will be surprised at how most everything happens in this movie. Yes, this movie is very violent, but it doesn’t feel as bleak as some other extremely violent films. Lastly, Fight or Flight is very fast-paced and well-edited. Once things get moving, it kicks into high gear and doesn’t really let up. There is a little bit of exposition necessary to understand the machinations of the plot, but even that goes by quickly and doesn’t halt the momentum of the movie.

Ultimately, Fight or Flight is a fun action movie that relies on its charming lead, exciting fight sequences and unexpected visuals to overcome its basic plot. It’s funny. It’s fast-paced. It’s exactly what you want in a thrilling action movie. Grab a big box of popcorn and head to the theater.