Too many killers on one plane. Review of the film Fight or Flight

Comedic films about assassins are almost perfect entertainment, giving mostly pleasant emotions. A bright and slightly shabby main character, a slightly more serious companion, an unconventional situation and a sea of enemies that can be killed both brutally and stylishly - what else does an ordinary viewer need? Honestly, all these elements should harmoniously merge into a single story and have at least a hint of originality. But even without this, the film can be worth watching.

Fight or Flight offers the audience a familiar format of an action movie about killers, and this time they are locked in the cramped space of an airplane, offering to kill the main character. This results in almost continuous fights, during which you feel complete pleasure. But for some reason, sometimes a bland plot turns on, which you have to endure for the sake of new cruel entertainment.

FBI agent Lucas Reyes (Josh Hartnett) crossed paths with the wrong people, which led to his loss of everything. Now he's hiding out in Bangkok and drinking. When the chance to get his life back, Lucas jumps at the chance. The main character must board a plane from Bangkok to San Francisco and make sure that a dangerous man on the international wanted list, known as the Ghost, gets to his destination alive. But the plane is filled with various assassins who are hunting the Ghost and are not averse to killing Lucas right away.

Watching Fight or Flight is definitely not worth it for the synopsis or the story as a whole. The entire previous paragraph can be replaced with "the main character finds himself on a plane full of killers" and the audience will not lose anything from it. At the same time, there is room in the story for some interesting plot twists and turns, and at its core, the film even flirts with current problems of the real world. However, you are unlikely to remember it a day after watching it.

In fact, Fight or Flight has a clear analogue. It's 2022's Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt. That film had a source book by Japanese writer Kotaro Isaki and the talent of David Leitch, director of the first part of John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Deadpool 2. Similar introductions resulted in an incredibly stylish and extremely well-thought-out film, in which each scene resembled a small celebration of cinema. There is nothing like that in Bullet Train.

Of the interesting characters in the script, only the main character is present, and that's why they didn't prepare so many eloquent phrases. The second main character turned out to be stereotypical, and all the others are completely devoid of individuality and rather resemble caricatures of real people. The film even quickly abandons the concept of charismatic and unique killers in favor of a mindless mash-up, when people on the screen turn into another "meat" for the main character.

If you like interesting stories, style, pathos and charming characters, Fight or Flight is likely to disappoint. On the other hand, no one promised that the film would have these elements. Popular culture has spoiled us with adventures of the level of James Bond and John Wick, so this time you subconsciously expect something similar. It is worth noting that Fight or Flight is the first feature-length work of James Madigan, who previously mainly helped other directors as an assistant and was involved in visual effects. It seems that he decided to act carefully and focus on the action, and added everything else as if for a tick or to satisfy the producers.

The film crew handled the action perfectly. After the first fight, the degree of tension and spectacle continuously increases. Closer to the finale, you are waiting for almost continuous fights, but they are not tiring, there is always room for creativity. This is despite the rather cramped space of an ordinary airplane. Fight or Flight will demonstrate how many unexpected dangers can be hidden in it.

Of course, there's no shortage of cruelty, so if you're sensitive to big-screen injuries, prepare yourself in advance. The violence in Fight or Flight is also creatively presented at times, and the blood and guts are done well, no matter how gruesome it sounds. The director's experience in visual effects definitely shows. But ironically, the computer graphics in other moments are poor. And the contrast created is somewhat disconcerting.

There are too many conventions, clichés, and templates in the plot to seriously tell anything noteworthy about it. And even with such a scenario, a crude hint of a potential sequel was still inserted into the finale. And there is a high probability that there will be a sequel. Because the budget of Fight or Flight is obviously small by modern standards.

Still, cinema is not only art, but sometimes just entertainment, a pleasant way to spend time. Fight or Flight does not claim to receive eloquent praise from critics. It is a simple film with a noticeable number of mediocre moments, but it copes well with the main thing. It entertains. And you don't need more than that.