Fight or Flight

I always used to have some soft corner for Josh Hartnett and was sad that over the years he didn't get a proper script to showcase his skills. The last good movie of his that I watched was Lucky Number Slevin and may be you can count 30 Days of Night too and since then I was expecting something good but didn't get any. Thanks to Guy Ritchie for bringing him back in Wrath of Man which somehow brought him into the limelight and he got to work with good directors from there on (sort of like KEANU REEVES who by the way is one of my favourites).

Fight or Flight is simply John wick on a plane but added a bit of humour to it so that the audiences won't find it to be boring and repetitive and added to that the surprise ending by the director made it more interesting. I never knew Josh could perform such slick moves and I hope he had fun filming them. Just for Josh and his never before stunts you could give this a try.

Fight or Flight is basically Bullet Train but on a plane. More specifically the plot is about Josh Hartnett playing an exiled spec ops who is called for one last mission to retrieve a wanted criminal from an airplane full of assassins. If you like Bullet Train then you will like this movie. I really enjoy Josh Hartnett in general and he does a great job as the leading man. Charithra Chandran is also great as a reluctant flight attendant who helps Josh's character. Overall the cast is good and the story is fun but wacky. There is a subplot revolving around the company who hired Josh that honestly the reveal is super head scratching. I kinda get with what they are going for but it feels totally unnecessary. The movie does gives you the gruesome fights and deaths it advertises. My biggest complaint though is I wish it went further with its baddies like Bullet Train did. You remembered all of the weird gimmicky assassins and added to the charm of the movie. For Fight or Flight, other than 1 or 2 gimmicky assassins, the rest are just some nameless boring stand ins. The movie also ends in a cliffhanger, hinting at a sequel which is really head scratching. But I still enjoyed it for the wacky story and kills.

This film was better than I expected. Is it a masterpiece, definitely not, is it the worst thing I've ever seen definitely not.

It's very 90s esq cheesy action film based around a group of assasins trying to kill someone on a plane while a drunk former secret service operative tries to save her. Do not watch this film expecting to see an Oscar worthy great.

However, Josh Hartnett is really good and carries the film well. It's the first thing I've seen Charithra Chandran in and thought she was really good to. The action is over the top and stupid but at the same time entertaining.

The worst thing about the movie is the ending where the film is left unfinished and set up for a sequel, which is a huge pet hate of mine.

Josh Hartnett rarely disappoints and this is no exception. Yes, it is a bit silly but it is a little funny, action packed and there was even a good bit of gore also which was a pleasant surprise. The only question that really ever matters is of course... Was it entertaining? And that is definitely a yes for Fight or Flight. I give this a solid 7.5 out of 10. It is one of those movies you just have to shut your brain off for. Do that and sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

Acting was fine, effects good, sound good, not really much to complain about. It's not going to win any awards but it will definitely entertain!

I was really impressed with Josh's Peter Lorresque turn in last year's underrated Trap. However after a long lay-off to raise a family his choices have been kind of sketchy, and something about his essential midwestern idealism doesn't read as a jaded former operative called out of his drunken stupor in Thailand to find a spy on a transcontinental flight back to the states. There's kind of an interesting Agatha Christie quality to his queries of whom on the flight it could be between the usual "when are they adding stunt work as an Oscars category?" over-choreographed fight scenes, but the film of course feels cobbled together from familiar sources (the expletive-filled lazy dialogue in the agency with a strangely Jessica Chastainesque Katee Sackoff made one miss the subtleties of Black Book). The film offered intriguing questions ("Is there really a full shower offered in Malaysian Business Class?"), but it'd be neat if say the BBC did a series about the flight crew of one of these snazzy flights alone rather than having Liam, Brad or Josh beating up people around them; they seem like an interesting, fun bunch. Oh well, caught my favorite two minutes of Pugh and Harbour in Thunderbolts again and Gene Hackman marathon on TCM tonight. Good enough for me. Cheers!