Rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
Another AMC Screen Unseen in the books! This time, Josh Hartnett showcases his action chops. He plays a drunken mercenary in hiding, only to be contacted to track a target on a plane headed to San Francisco. Once he boards the flight and finds the target, he realizes they are not alone. Awaiting them is a large group of assassins hell bent on taking him and his target out. Unless he can figure out a plan for survival, the safety of the entire flight may be at risk.
Positives:
Those who enjoy throwback campy action movies will feel right at home with this one. This is a slick, surprisingly well-choreographed action flick that is likely to become a streaming hit. Josh Hartnett mixes up the formula of his past projects and plays a complex individual who is highly skilled in combat. He embraces the challenge well, putting enough humor into his character’s demeanor where the film still feels fun when it gets intense. The same goes for the rest of the cast. Charithra Chandran is someone who I’m unfamiliar with, but she matches Hartnett’s spunk well. Their dynamic throughout the film is nice, navigating a crowded plane with people trying to kill them. This gives audiences a number of thrilling sequences and keeps the plot moving at a nice pace. The film is shockingly violent too. While I normally criticize a film that highlights violence over substance, “Fight or Flight” balances the two well. The bloody fight sequences make sense within the story that is happening. This is one of those movies that is exactly what one might expect from this genre. It’s a throwback action thriller that includes some surprisingly entertaining twists.
Negatives:
I was ready to crown “Fight or Flight” as one of 2025’s greatest surprises for the first two acts of the story. But after the film leans into the silliness too much it loses a bit of steam. The balance of campy humor and eccentric violent action was executed wonderfully for most of the story. The third act ramps everything up too much, where the humor is too wonky to enjoy in the midst of the chaos. Any plausibility within the situation crumbles. If audiences think too hard about the story it will probably fall apart. Once hell breaks loose, the film rushes to include its blood soaked finale and set up for a potential sequel. This was a jarring conclusion to a story that was well executed beforehand. The film ends on an abrupt note that is very unsatisfying, meaning to be funny but just ends up falling flat. While I enjoyed the film as a whole, the third act doesn’t maintain the momentum established in the first two acts.
Conclusion:
“Fight or Flight” is a surprisingly entertaining action romp that will please fans of the 90’s action genre. The leading performances from Josh Hartnett and Charithra Chandran are effective, blending in nicely to the campy tone of the film. There are some great fight sequences combined with gnarly kills. I wish the film could have maintained the same success in the third act but it unfortunately goes too far. The humor and premise lose their luster by the time the chaos really goes into effect. Give it a watch on streaming as its entertainment value is something to commend.
