We all have to start somewhere, and James Madigan is making his feature film directorial debut with Fight or Flight. On previous projects, he worked in visual effects and as a Second Unit or Assistant Director, all of which contributed to making this film a comical action film with a bit of plot.
A much sought-after hacker known as The Ghost is catching a flight from Bangkok to San Francisco and their itinerary has been leaked on the dark web. An agency in the United States finds out, and they do not have anyone close enough to catch The Ghost… or do they? Katherine Brunt (Katee Sackhoff) reaches out to burned agent Lucas Reyes (Josh Hartnett) and offers that his name will be cleared if he can safely bring in the target. With a healthy dose of trepidation, Reyes heads to the airport and catches the flight. Once in the air, Reyes learns he is not the only one there for The Ghost, just the only one who wants to keep them alive.
There is something about a B-grade action film that makes for a good escape from reality, and this one did not disappoint. With some similarities to Midnight Run, The Raid, Bullet Train, and John Wick: Chapter 2, you may feel like you have seen small bits of this one before. However, how it is put together makes it its own story. (It may just be me, I wish they had taken a little bit from The Warriors (1979) with the creation of the other mercenaries on the flight.) There is no attempt by the story or the cast to be more than what is called for. The over-the-top fight scenes are creative with the use of space on the plane, what becomes a weapon, and what weapons are available. The choreography is tight and beautifully executed, while the blood flow is campy and abundant.
Hartnett’s performance is one of the best I have seen him provide. He plays along with the role and contributes to the film’s spirit. He is comical enough to avoid the feeling that the violence exhibited could be real, yet not so comical that it feels more like animation. With as many action sequences as possible, the level of physicality to keep the story moving was on point. It wasn’t just delivering lines; this involved facial expressions, appearing with different levels of intoxication, being injured, and avoiding the feeling of slamming on the brakes when the few more serious pieces to the plot are provided.
It would be difficult to give specifics about the rest of the cast without giving away more of the plot, and this is a film to be enjoyed without any spoilers for the first viewing. Hartnett is the lead, and he does lead the way. The rest of the cast follows and adds their own touches. It is also nice to see strong female action characters who are not being overprotected because they are women.
Director: James Madigan
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Charithra Chandran, Katee Sackhoff
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, and some drug material.
Selig Rating: 4 stars
Runtime: 2h 21m
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Genre(s): Action, Comedy
Movie Site: Fight or Flight website
Trailer: Fight or Flight trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.