“Oh YEEEEEAH.”

Story: Lucas Reyes has had a rough couple of years. On the run for botching a protection gig, he’s given one last chance to clear his name. All he’s gotta do is find the BlackCat terrorist “Ghost” on a flight to San Francisco and bring him in. Two things. One? Nobody knows what Ghost looks like. Two? A leak on the Dark Web means every mercenary is out to grab Ghost – and a 10 million bounty – before the plane touches down. The real bad news? He’s starting to sober up…

Genre I’d put it in: Bonkers Action Films
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Original, but you’ll note homages to many different subgenres along the way

Gotta say: I could be quippy and say that this Flight is Air Force One meets Drunken Master. But that’s not enough to encapsulate the wild and crazy ride this movie will take you on. Director James Madigan takes from a whole lot of movie genres, and hits frappé, blending them all into a concoction that goes down smooth, even while it jolts you with a straight shot of pure energy.

Flight cribs the most outrageously entertaining action tropes, but Madigan manages to make everything feel fresh and fun. If you’re in the mood for a wild ride that’ll keep your interest, but aren’t sure what kind of ride you want? Don’t worry; this movie has it all. Martial artistry, mob guys violence, underhanded murders, and even a touch of Dead Alive mayhem. At an hour and a half, that’s a whole lot to pack into a story. Luckily, the story isn’t really the main point here. Like Hitchcock’s MacGuffin, the plane ride is rather secondary to the constant outbreaks of violence. This “get that guy” story could have unfolded anywhere, but the plane makes things unfold in unique ways. And I do love me some Just Make Do violence. Y’know, where the good guys have to figure out how to fight with whatever they’ve got nearby? Yeah, that’s the stuff. Let’s just say I’ll never look at a fire sprinkler head in quite the same way ever again.

As I mentioned in the story description, our good buddy Lucas has a penchant for out of body experiences. From his morning-after disheveled introduction, to his bonkers toad venom trip, he’s one crazy so-and-so. Who just so happens to be a killer…well, killer. His backstory is sketched out briefly, but honestly? It doesn’t really matter. He’s incredibly good at what he does, and he rivals Liam Neeson in having a particular set of skills. (Honestly? Lucas’ backstory felt a bit weak; that job does not train you like that.) Josh Hartnett digs into the role of Lucas with both hands, delivering a gonzo performance that’s particularly refreshing after he was hobbled by a lackluster, po-faced character in Trap. Give this man meatier roles to sink into! He’s shown his chops in Penny Dreadful, and I’ve been hoping for a cinematic vehicle equal to his talents ever since.

Alongside Hartnett are Charithra Chandran and Danny Ashok as flight attendants Isha and Royce. Both play well as semi-sidekick (Isha) and comedic relief (Royce), and the banter between the characters is believable. I loved getting to see Chandran outside of Bridgerton; as Isha, she gets to show a similar level of gumption that her character on Bridgerton only got to unveil late in the season. Here, she gets to show an intelligence and cleverness that Would Not Do in Georgian England. Plus, her action chops are excellent. Ashok plays the bumbling fella whose journey from terrified guy to someone willing to pitch in, and gets several moment to shine comedically. The cast is so packed with assassins, suits, innocents, and the like, that it’s tough to single out other players. Yet I do feel the need to shout out Hughie O’Donnel as Garrett, the overly fussy head steward on the plane. He’s more worried about his first class passengers than the actual mayhem on board. His deadpan delivery of stupendously out of touch lines are simply perfect.

My only quibble is that once the spectacularly over-the-top climax wraps? There doesn’t seem to be a wrap-up for the rest of the passengers on the plane. There are survivors, or at least there were at some point. But they all seem to be brushed under the rug (or into the cargo hold). Flight ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, one that can simply be written off as a silly “here we go again” if the film doesn’t make the money the studios desire, or can pave the way for a sequel should the studio demand it. Me? I’d just like to know what happened to all those folks, as the final scene is just two characters in a different situation entirely. Guess they didn’t exactly know how to switch gears from all that action? Meh. It’s a small price to pay for having so much fun for the first hour and twenty minutes. I can deal with ten minutes of trying to figure out what happened after all that action.

This one’s a popcorn flick if there ever was one. Turn your brain off, turn your action loving self on, gear up for some pretty gnarly blood FX if you need to, and have a good time.

#Protip: Toad venom? Yep.