The Wasteland Reviewer

Fight or Flight (2025) Written Review

What happens when you get a whole plane full of assassins together going for the same target? That is the high concept idea of James Madigan’s new action/thriller when Lucas Reyes (Josh Hartnett) is a mercenary who is put into this plane to capture the target but goes on a bit of a journey himself…of self-discovery at least. Fight or Flight is a wild ride with plenty of potential with so many dangerous people on one plane and plenty of death and violence to ensue. 

How does Madigan capitalize on this wild scenario with so many dangerous people in one place? The biggest standout element of the film is the presentation of action and violence. The action in the film is visceral and dynamic. The camera radiates and shakes with action but never enough to muddle the violence on screen. The choreography and staging of the violence is done quite well for the confined space on this plane. The action is paired with buckets (and buckets) of blood and some crazy kills. The climactic final battle has some more creative elements including an altered state of being for Hartnett’s protagonist. The visuals during this sequence are wild, creative, and certainly unique. The biggest issue is when the action slows it feels more like a snail’s crawl. The inconsistent pacing is one of the frustrating elements from a viewing experience. 

What is the biggest weakness of the film? The screenplay leaves a lot to be desired. The overall narrative is basic, and the concept is a fun idea. But the actual execution is clunky and awkward. The story is stretched quite thin and there are plenty of awkward elements thrown in. Most of the elements on the ground are uninteresting and full of cliches. The moral journey that Lucas Reyes goes on is quite basic and doesn’t have a lot of depth to it. There are plenty of narrative beats that just feel dumb and nonsensical and only incorporated to extend the film and fill out a 100-minute runtime. When you have such a fun idea and plenty of potential, it is quite disappointing that the actual narrative structured around it feels so half-baked. The motivation of the target is meaningful but feels so out of place when it is quite serious and the rest of the film is so wild and ridiculous. 

Are there at least plenty of fun characters to liven up the experience? Hartnett at least brings plenty of charisma to his character of Lucas. He is cool and has a presence which allows him to easily stand out in the film. Hartnett can channel enough emotion to feel some of this moral rediscovery for his character. You can buy into the physicality as well when Hartnett kicks into action and must fight some hitmen. The most satisfying sequence is when Lucas is high, and Hartnett plays this situation perfectly. Katee Sackhoff brings presence and charisma to her character of Katherine Brunt who is the one who put Lucas in this situation. Outside of them, there are not many performances that stand out. But what is the most frustrating element of the film is just how uninteresting all these hitmen, assassins, and mercenaries are. You have the concept of a plane full of killers but none of them are interesting enough to stand out. That is so frustrating and such a waste of a concept. 

Is Fight or Flight at least worth the watch? This frustrating experience at least delivers from an action standpoint. If you are in it for the action, there is plenty of visceral, bloody, and creative action and kills along the way. But there was plenty more potential in the concept that felt wasted along the way. Then there is the ending. This has one of the most annoying sequel teases to a film that was underwhelming to begin with.