Fight or Flight

This is a movie where a disavowed spy fires up a chainsaw on an airplane in flight. Get on board, or be bored elsewhere.

Hartnett and Chandran’s laid back chemistry steady the film’s turbulent tonal shifts, adding a punch that the shakily choreographed action lacks.

Surprisingly, Hartnett’s Lucas hasn’t worn out his welcome, even if the movie around him has fallen apart midair. Ergo, the old truism has never been truer: When it comes to “Fight or Flight,” your mileage may vary.

Crackles with manic energy, fed at every turn by exhilarating fight choreography and a thoroughly game cast. Hartnett carries the whole silly, bone-crunching enterprise masterfully.

While Fight or Flight’s plotting and comedy leave something to be desired, there’s certainly enough for action fans to feast on.

“Fight or Flight” gives Hartnett ample room to play. An unrepentant B-movie with a Grade A concept.

Most of what follows is familiar if you've seen The Raid or Bullet Train or Free Fire or … you get the idea.

This film, directed by James Madigan in his debut feature, ditches the raunchy and the sex, even though his leading man could have absolutely delivered, but yet it still feels as if it could fit in that grindhouse-style or genre.

The introductory images promise something farcical and fun. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie never quite lives up.

Sans a chainsaw tossed like a dodgeball, there's not a single original idea in Fight or Flight, which may not trigger any kind of palpable stress response but it does allow Josh Hartnett carte blanche as a rugged, charming soldier of fortune.