REVIEW: ‘Fight or Flight’ Is The Single-Location Actioner You Need

Originally released in the UK as a Sky Cinema Original in 2024, Fight or Flight (2025) is Josh Hartnett’s take on hyper-violent action. Directed by James Madigan and co-written by Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona, this high-octane action movie puts humor first and violence second, all in one location, 44,000 feet in the air.

The debut feature film for seasoned special effects veteran James Madigan, his previous credits include directing episodes of Hulu’s Runaways series and the war documentary Medal of Honor. However, his eye for special effects goes all the way back to the ’90s, and his work as a second unit director on action series like See and a bevy of action blockbusters set Madigan up for success with Fight or Flight. On the writing side, this actioner is only the second and first film for writers Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona, respectively.

Touting a tight 98-minute run time, Fight or Flight (2025) is an absolute blast from start to finish. It has the action polish of any top Western action film and the inventiveness of situational violence of a John Wick film (it even features some of the original John Wick’s producers). It leans into B-action movie madness while thriving due to a stellar and unhinged performance from its lead.

Fight or Flight offers up Josh Hartnett’s best action performance to date.

In Fight or Flight, Josh Hartnett plays an extremely “over it” ex-agent, Lucas Reyes, trying to get his name removed from the no-fly list and his old life back. After being disavowed and stranded in Thailand for two years, he’s too desperate to say no when his ex-girlfriend Katherine (Katee Sackhoff) calls, asking him to return to the field and protect an unknown asset. Get on a plane from Bangkok to San Francisco, keep the asset named Ghost alive, and don’t get caught. Of course, none of it goes according to plan.

As Reyes, Hartnett has to capture absolute power in his tall stature and physicality for his action sequences and keep the reluctant and annoyed demeanor throughout. It’s a difficult task, especially for a former Hollywood leading man with only a few action films under his belt, and even fewer where he carries a bulk of the fight sequences, even with such a long career.

That said, Hartnett excels and makes Fight of Flight (2025) a premier action one-location action movie that is an absolute must-see. The violence on display ramps up with every kill, every surprise assassin, and every moment that Reyes gets more and more pushed into a corner. His morality versus his job versus his need to survive. They combine to make an action-hero slurry of annoyance skills that can’t be topped.

Hyperviolence and humor are core to this Sky Original film.

Whether wielding a champagne bottle, a random cane, or even a chainsaw in the sky, Fight or Flight knows how to deliver bone-cracking punches, wild fountains of blood, and campy action violence that sticks. And all of that execution comes from Hartnett meeting this character head-on and embracing every single dangerous part of him.

At the same time, it would be a shame to waste Hartnett’s magnetic chemistry with anyone with a pulse by resigning him to fists and weaponry. Paired against any number of flight attendants, his impromptu handler is perfection, to say the least. Josh Hartnett brings out the best in everyone acting opposite him, whether it’s Sackhoff, Charithra Chandran, or even Danny Ashok. It all just works.

For their individual parts, Fight or Flight’s ensemble cast is well worth the price of admission for this Sky Original. Where Sackhoff brings out a mature and direct force to push back against Reyes’ indignation, Isha (Charithra Chandran) meets him with a youthful resistance that ultimately stokes Reyes’ need to complete the job. Not so that he can go back to the United States, but because he has to save her. Even if at the start of the third act, Lucas Reyes is high out of his mind and has no idea what is happening. But hey, at least he can’t feel his critical injuries.

Isha strikes a balance between a smart flight attendant, a competent fighter, and youthful hope that rounds out Reyes’ jaded personality. Bouncing between Reyes and the too innocent for his own good Royce (Danny Ashok) helps create a dynamic that works on all fronts.

Everything about Fight or Flight (2025) works.

Stylistically, Fight or Flight is an action movie drenched in bright colors, with a thoughtful set design and an eye for blood splatter. The mixture of computer effects with practical allows the film’s harshest violence to hit a tone that makes you laugh at how over the top it is, but yell about the fact that the film “goes there.” Be it hand-to-hand combat or eclectic weaponry, it’s all good.

I don’t particularly like describing films by comparing them to others. Still, for those who love action, knowing that Fight or Flight is a cross between Bullet Train, Baby Assassins, and John Wick 3 (specifically) just may make sure that no one sleeps on this action movie.

Fight or Flight is absurdist action violence, making it a top contender for the year’s best action movie. Josh Hartnett’s electric physicality and top-notch comedic timing make every moment he’s on screen a raucous joy, and the chaos bouncing off the walls of the two-story plane is the right kind of over the top. While the film may boast that it has producers from John Wick involved in the project, the reality is that it doesn’t need a pedigree once the boarding doors shut and the seat belt sign turns off.

Fight or Flight is in theaters now and on VOD.