FIGHT OR FLIGHT Review: Buckle Up for a Fun and Bloody Ride

"You know, this might not be all bad for us," says the pilot of a passenger jet filled with assassins hunting their target onboard. "Sully!" adds the co-pilot, and the two quickly get excited at the idea of them saving the day and being portrayed by Tom Hanks in the inevitable movie.

It's a fun little aside in the new action/comedy Fight or Flight, but the Sully moniker really only belongs to one person here, Josh Hartnett, who helps land this pla... er, movie, safely leaving nothing but smiles on viewer faces.

Lucas Reyes (Hartnett) is a bum living and hiding out in Bangkok. He's a man with a past and no guarantee of a future, and he's just been asked for a favor by an old fling -- board a flight bound for San Francisco, identify and find the asset known only as the Ghost, and safely deliver them to the U.S. Simple enough, but once airborne, Lucas discovers that most of his fellow travelers are actually killers hoping to collect a massive bounty on the Ghost's head. Buckle in, folks, it's about to get a little bumpy... and a whole lot bloody.

After threatening to break out as a star back in the late 90s and early 00s, Hartnett settled into high-profile ensembles and smaller lead roles before seemingly fading from wide releases all together. He returned to cinemas in 2021 with Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man, and he's continued to stay visible with a supporting turn in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and a wickedly fun lead performance in M. Night Shyamalan's Trap. It's that last film that showcased Hartnett's mischievous side, and that continues with the wildly entertaining Fight or Flight.

Lucas is a man who lives each day deep in the sauce, dulling the pain between bouts of self-defense and the strain of always looking over his shoulder. This assignment promises to be his way out of purgatory, but the truth is a bit murkier. He's an understandably bitter guy, but Hartnett makes him endlessly likeable and relatable, in part because he's having an increasing amount of fun onboard this plane. Sure, he's frustrated by the day's events, but once he gets that chainsaw in his hands mid-flight? Well, you know what they say -- find something you love to do, and you'll never work a day in your life.

From his comic delivery -- "You can't pickle a pickle," he says after an attempt to drug him fails -- to his physical comedy gifts, Hartnett is a real joy here with a grin pulling double duty as both pleasant greeting and maniacal threat. That carries over to some unexpected action chops too as he takes well to smart, fun, and viciously entertaining fight choreography.

Sully joke aside, though, the film's success is obviously a joint effort, starting with director James Madigan, who's making his feature debut here after paying his dues with second-unit work on films like Snake Eyes and The Meg. He knows this is an action/comedy and respects both halves equally delivering a fun, energetic movie that rarely pauses to take a breath.

The script by Brooks McLaren and DJ Cotrona feels similarly assured and packs the film's relatively tight running-time with plenty of laughs and action beats. It's all backed up with fights and action courtesy of choreographer Brahim Chab (Dev Patel's Monkey Man) and stunt coordinator Balazs Lengyel (Black Widow) that make excellent use of the plane's confines.

Hartnett is joined onscreen by dozens of stunt professionals prepared to suffer at his hands, and the great Marko Zaror (John Wick: Chapter 4) even kicks things off with a stellar bathroom flight. Friendlier faces are present, too, including Katee Sackhoff as the ex offering him one final shot at redemption and Charithra Chandran (Eternals) as a flight attendant caught up in the excitement.

Fight or Flight is essentially a made-for-TV feature, as it premiered previously as a Sky Cinema Original in the UK, but while its budgetary limitations are evident, they're never really a hindrance. Yes, there's some abysmally poor cg blood here and there, but the sparse locations are well-utilized with the plane making for a more than ideal centerpiece. It's already being compared to 2022's Bullet Train, but it's nearly 30 minutes shorter, far less concerned with convoluted twists, and never tries to get cutesy with its numerous characters. Let it be its own thing!

Genre-hybrids sometimes suffer as one half lags behind the other -- see too many horror/comedies for example -- but Madigan, Hartnett, and the rest of the cast and crew find an ideal balance here. Fight or Flight delivers big laughs, lots of fun, and more than enough meaty, creatively executed action to land it among the year's best action films. Here's hoping all involved will be chartering another flight soon.

The film is now playing nationwide. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.