‘Fight or Flight’ Review: Josh Hartnett Soars in This Blood-Soaked Action Movie

2025 has yet to see a truly solid action flick hit the big screen. That is, until now. Fight or Flight has saved us from the perils of an action-absent box office and delivers a go-for-broke, Bullet Train-style film that satisfies the B-level, high-octane itch we’ve become so used to scratching constantly. But just how good is it? Well, pretty dang good.

‘Fight or Flight’ Is Simple and Snappy

Lucas Reyes, played by Josh Hartnett — who turns in a deliciously deranged performance from start to finish — is a former Secret Service agent on the run. Holed up in Bangkok, running from mercenaries trying to kill him during the day, and drinking away his problems at night, Reyes receives a call he is a little less than thrilled to answer. The very same agency that has been hunting him for the past two years, and consequently stuck him on a no-fly list, needs his help. There’s a high-interest target known as “Ghost,” who is trying to leave Bangkok and has to be stopped before leaving the country.

Granted a passport and promises of a clean record with his previous life restored if he delivers “Ghost” back to them unharmed, Reyes boards the 16 hour flight from Bangkok to San Francisco in fashion (with bleach blonde hair and an outfit comprised of a strawberry milk pink graphic tee and grey capri cargo shorts that he traded a taxi driver for) with one mission on his mind. Except that mission is soon compromised when he realizes the flight is full of killers all in search of him instead of the “Ghost.” Thus, Fight or Flight takes off as the blood-soaked adrenaline rush it is.

Director James Madigan and His Veteran Team Deliver Entertaining Action

First-time feature director James Madigan, who was previously a second unit director on projects like 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and 2018’s The Meg, is clear with his execution of the film — action that feels earned, warranted, and, most importantly, super cool. He effectively utilizes all of the nooks and crannies that appear only on a plane to make for some really unique, bone-crushing moments. The director of photography, Matt Flannery, who comes bearing experience from Netflix’s new original action flick Havoc and cult-classic The Raid 2, and editor Ben Mills, who brings some Mission: Impossible experience, all work in tandem to give not only effective combat scenes but really entertaining combat scenes to boot.

It’s easy to see this type of movie — a simple plot involving battling mercenaries on a plane to survive — fumbling its cool factor with either a narrative that doesn’t work or a lead actor that doesn’t give it their all. Lucky for us and the movie, Fight or Flight has neither of those. The narrative, while admittedly rather plain and full of action-movie tropes, serves the film enough to keep the non-stop action alive, and Josh Hartnett as the lead commits to his role on a deeply amusing and impressive level. Plus, he does it all while wearing checkered Vans.

‘Fight or Flight’ Combines Fun With Functionality

In a movie culture saturated with action-oriented spectacles that try, usually way too hard, to be more than they are, Fight or Flight succeeds at delivering solid B-movie action with pride and knowledge. Sure, the narrative spirals toward a rather frail exploration of morals, and the “big bad” is a bit inconsequentially deployed. What B-level action movie doesn’t have those issues? But I give this movie credit for navigating those pitfalls with innovative and entertaining action from a pretty famous movie star.

It doesn’t reach the heights of anything in the modern-day action Mount Rushmore, but it does provide the perfect hyper-violent action story to remind us how fun movies can be (and a bit ridiculous). With brutally bloody kills and swift sequences of powerhouse action, Fight or Flight is fun enough to warrant a watch (or a few).

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