Fight or Flight - Review: A High-Altitude, Looney Tunes Die Hard

Fight or Flight

A High-Altitude, Looney Tunes Die Hard

★★★☆☆

An amusing, uncomplicated ride with John Wick-style combat.

A fun twist on the Die Hard model, Fight or Flight is an entertaining action yarn that thankfully doesn't take itself too seriously. Anchoring the film is a likable performance from Josh Hartnett. As an action star, Hartnett proves his mettle with excellent fight scenes mixed with laugh-out-loud humor.

"But this isn't a story kind of movie. Mostly this movie is an excuse to stage John Wick style combat and have some shits and giggles to pass the time. "

— Ray Manukay

🎬 Cast & Crew

• Director: Magnus Martens
• Starring: Josh Hartnett, Julianne Hough
• Key Dept: Stunts by James Young

The Vision

Director Magnus Martens uses a thin cyber-terrorist plot as an excuse to stage high-intensity combat. Clocking in at 1 hour and 41 minutes, it’s an amusing diversion with Jason Statham-level choreography. While it isn’t going to win awards, it’s a movie worthy of standing just a tier below the best action films of the year.

🎬 Cinephile Fun Facts

• Hartnett's Training: Josh Hartnett trained for three months in BJJ and Muay Thai, performing nearly 80% of his own stunts.
• The Wick Connection: The stunt team included veterans from the John Wick franchise.
• Limited Set: 90% of the film was shot on a single gimbal-mounted airplane set in London.

✅ Pros

• Josh Hartnett’s effortless transition into a modern action lead.
• Creative use of confined airplane space for combat.
• Fast-paced, breezy runtime.

❌ Cons

• Plot logic is thin and leans into "cartoonish" territory.
• Dialogue is mostly functional rather than memorable.

Full Review

A fun twist on the Die Hard story model, Fight or Flight is an entertaining action yarn that thankfully doesn't take itself too seriously. Anchoring the film is a likable performance from Josh Hartnett, who seems to be on a roll following his dramatic turn in Oppenheimer and his chilling serial killer role in Trap. As an action star, Hartnett proves his mettle here, delivering excellent fight scenes mixed with genuine, laugh-out-loud humor.

The plot ties things together with a relatively thin story concerning a socially conscious cyber-terrorist in need of protection from a plane full of contract assassins. However, this isn't really a "story" kind of movie. Primarily, the film serves as an excuse to stage John Wick-style combat and provide some "shits and giggles" to pass the time—a goal that Fight or Flight thankfully succeeds at throughout its runtime.

Clocking in at an hour and 41 minutes, the film is an entertaining diversion. While it isn't going to win any prestigious awards or make many year-end Top Ten lists, it is an amusing and uncomplicated ride. The movie operates with a certain Looney Tunes-type logic paired with Jason Statham-level choreography. It is a work worthy of standing perhaps a tiny tier below the absolute best action films of the year. Fight or Flight is definitely worth a viewing, and it is likely an even better experience when watched with a group of friends.

🏆 Final Verdict

Fight or Flight is exactly what it promises: a high-altitude adrenaline shot. It's a perfect Friday night watch for fans of tight choreography who don't want to overthink the details.

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