Fight or Flight (2025) feels like it’s trying to play in the big leagues of modern action but without the distinctive characters, choreography, or creative spark to back it up. It’s neither grounded enough to be gritty nor wild enough to be fun. While Josh Hartnett remains an intriguing actor in the right roles, this isn’t one of them. It’s a forgettable detour in a genre full of better, more fully realized flights.
‘Fight or Flight’ Movie Review
Fight or Flight, directed by James Madigan in his feature debut, is a mid-altitude action thriller that never really gets off the runway. Starring Josh Hartnett as a grizzled mercenary named Lucas Reyes, the film pitches itself as a claustrophobic, high-stakes brawler at 30,000 feet—but it ends up feeling like a watered-down riff on better single-location action flicks like Bullet Train (even if that movie has its own issues). While the premise is solid and potentially ripe for thrills, the execution is both underwhelming and uninspired.
Hartnett, whose career has seen a recent resurgence thanks to roles in Oppenheimer, Trap, and Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, feels somewhat miscast here. While he’s proven effective as a stoic, brooding presence, Fight or Flight calls on him to lean into a winking, self-aware persona that just doesn’t suit his strengths. The film wants him to be rugged and cool in a sardonic, almost meta-action hero kind of way—but it mostly comes off as hollow posturing.
The story follows Lucas as he boards a commercial flight on a covert mission to identify and protect a mysterious target codenamed “The Ghost.” Trouble is, there are several other mercenaries onboard with conflicting objectives, and they’re not above taking out Lucas to get what they want. It’s the kind of setup that practically begs for kinetic, inventive close-quarters action. Unfortunately, outside of a few standout skirmishes, most of the film gets bogged down in dull exposition, flat character interactions, and a plot stuffed with generic twists that go nowhere fast.
The comparison to David Leitch’s Bullet Train is inevitable, but largely unfair to that movie. While Bullet Train was far from perfect, at least it had the energy and ambition to juggle a colorful ensemble, whip-smart pacing, and outlandish choreography. Fight or Flight, by contrast, feels stripped of personality. Aside from Hartnett, the cast is largely forgettable, with side plots involving operatives on the ground (played by Katee Sackhoff and Julian Kostov) adding little intrigue or momentum. The script tries to surprise with revelations about “The Ghost,” but the emotional and narrative stakes remain frustratingly low.
Even more disappointing is that Madigan, whose previous work includes additional directing roles on Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, seems to bring less stylistic flair here than those louder, more personality-driven projects. For a film set entirely on a plane, there’s a surprising lack of tension or atmosphere—it’s visually flat, rhythmically sluggish, and weighed down by a certain level of self-seriousness that undermines the potential for campy fun.
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Ultimately, Fight or Flight feels like it’s trying to play in the big leagues of modern action but without the distinctive characters, choreography, or creative spark to back it up. It’s neither grounded enough to be gritty nor wild enough to be fun. While Hartnett remains an intriguing actor in the right roles, this isn’t one of them. It’s a forgettable detour in a genre full of better, more fully realized flights.
Score: 4/10
Fight or Flight (2025)
- Cast: Josh Hartnett, Katee Sackhoff, Marko Zaror, Julian Kostov, Charithra Chandran
- Director: James Madigan
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: May 9, 2025
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