Fight or Flight Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Fight or Flight Blu-ray Movie Review

Fakes on a plane.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 3, 2025

James Madigan's Fight or Flight is a frenetic, furious, and funny thriller that could be viewed as something of another comeback vehicle for Josh Hartnett, who leads a cast of mostly lesser-knowns through 97 minutes of unbridled chaos high above the Earth's surface. It's proudly advertised as being "from the producers of John Wick", and the similarities are certainly there. Middle-aged former killing machine reluctantly dragged back into action? Check. Unspeakable acts of violence, some of it peppered with questionable CGI? Check. Not much of a story tying it together? Actually, it does a little better than JW in that regard, as Fight or Flight deserves at least a half bonus point for going slightly above and beyond what usually passes for a narrative in films that otherwise feel like excuses for non-stop bloodshed.

The story goes like this: a secret government agency is on the hunt for a hacker and terrorist known as "The Ghost", who's been racking up enemies across the globe while successfully evading capture. The agency is led by Aaron Hunter (a scene-stealing Julian Kostov), who attempts to hide The Ghost's latest escape from his boss Katherine Brunt (Katee Sackhoff); she soon finds out and takes charge, with their team eventually using social media trickery to pinpoint the recently injured hacker's projected path from Thailand to a flight towards San Francisco. Unable to delegate any field agents in time, Brunt reluctantly reaches out to former secret service agent Lucas Reyes (Hartnett), her old partner and love interest before both relationships went sour. Currently hiding out in Bangkok and drinking his life away, the down-and-out Reyes initially wants no part of the mission but eventually signs on for the right price.

Reyes doesn't seem like the perfect candidate, not by a long shot, but he's obviously the best they could get on short notice. He's almost immediately equipped with a clean passport and other credentials and is able to board The Ghost's suspected flight, but Reyes has no physical description of his target... other than they've been recently shot. But here's the kicker: for reasons soon to be revealed, the flight is also packed with mercenaries from around the globe that were also alerted to The Ghost's potential location... and just like Reyes, they're willing to work for their money. Equal parts cat-and-mouse (mice?) thriller and redemptive character arc with more than a few sharp left turns along the way, Fight or Flight unfolds at a rapid pace and does a bang-up job of keeping things entertaining along the way.

Prefaced by a batshit insane slow-motion opening sequence that loosely previews a chaotic all-out brawl in the film's third act, Fight or Flight also smartly front loads its opening moments with razor-sharp dialogue and exchanges that effortlessly set the tone for what's to come. It's an extremely confident and energetic piece of filmmaking, one that introduces its characters, delivers exposition, and even serves up a few red herrings in the form of several suspected "final bosses" in clever ways while constantly subverting viewer expectations. Most of the mercenaries are memorable and violent run-ins take place in just about every square inch of the commercial airliner, from first class to coach, the cargo hold, the steward's station, and even the cockpit. Alliances are formed and buckets of blood are spilled; the latter almost approaches RoboCop's X-rated levels of insanity, but Fight or Flight likewise maintains a light and comedic touch laced with just enough high-stakes suspense to keep excitement levels high from take-off to landing.

Needless to say, I had a blast with this one. Josh Hartnett is terrific in the lead role, a handful of key supporting characters -- some of whom I won't name at the risk of spoilers -- pull more than their own weight, and just about everything that's important comes together in a surprisingly seamless manner that's only occasionally hampered by a few unclear motives, dodgy CGI blood geysers, and Katee Sackhoff's distracting choice of eyewear. It's a blast more often than not, and of course a film I'll be glad to revisit soon enough to potentially pick up on a few "second watch" Easter eggs and other little surprises I probably missed. Vertical Entertainment's Blu-ray sadly delivers a movie-only experience, but the A/V presentation is solid enough and the price is certainly right for a blind buy.

Fight or Flight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Vertical Entertainment's 1080p transfer of Fight or Flight offers a good quality no-nonsense presentation, one that occasionally suggests less-than-perfect disc encoding but otherwise plays without a hitch. Framed at the increasingly popular 2.00:1 aspect ratio (which gives it a slightly more cinematic sheen while still leaving plenty of headroom for the solidly-staged fight sequences), the overall image is crisp and workmanlike with solid levels of fine detail, terrific color representation, and excellent stability in both main environments: the plane itself, of course, and to a lesser extent the low-lit government agent headquarters when more exposition is required. Fast-moving fight sequences, especially those laced with excessive blood and other CGI effects, sometimes show their seams but are otherwise decently integrated within reasonable expectations. As for the encoding? Again, it's largely solid for a 25GB disc but occasional glimpses of posterization and macro blocking can be spotted in more complex sequences, though not always in-motion and perhaps not even visible at all depending on your screen size. But considering the tone and budget, I can't imagine fans being disappointed here -- it's certainly good enough in most major respects to meet or exceed viewer demands.

Fight or Flight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix -- thankfully not Dolby Digital 5.1, as listed on the packaging -- likewise brings the goods, offering a supportive amount of sonic weight during action sequences as well as light but appreciate ambiance in more comparatively quiet moments. Channel panning and discrete effects are ample during the former, especially by way of a handful of shootouts, at least one breach of the airplane's cabin, and one drug-induced freak-out. Otherwise, Fight or Flight takes a decidedly more front-forward approach; most dialogue is anchored right in the center, whereas surround channels are largely reserved for the original score by Paul Saunderson as well as few choice cuts by Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Lesley Gore, The Clash, and ya boi Johann Strauss. Crank it up and enjoy!

Fight or Flight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with a matching slipcover. Sadly, there are no extras.

Fight or Flight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Madigan's Fight or Flight is the kind of balls-to-the-wall actioner that is best approached blind, but I'll at least admit it'll play a lot better for those who like heavy amounts of humor mixed in with all the ass-kicking. That certainly describes me, and I admittedly laughed out loud more than a few times -- sometimes due to the great dialogue, but mostly due to the insanely violent action. Whether you're a fan or just a curious newcomer, Vertical Entertainment's Blu-ray is a solid movie-only disc for the price of a movie ticket and thus comes firmly Recommended.