...but I'll restrain myself (something this film never does for a moment) and offer a conservative nine stars.
Fight or Flight makes no pretense of being anything other than a low-budget action film, cranked way, WAY up over the top. But it's executed with such impeccable wit and panache that it borders on (lunatic) genius.
The dialog is razor sharp. The acting, especially by the three leads - Hartnett, Chandran and Sackhof - is suitably exaggerated yet tightly focused, never spoiling the delicious balance between credibility and caricature. Hartnett is particularly endearing, as he traverses an extravagant range of mental states.
Direction is brilliant, from the slam-bang opening through to the forward-looking denouement. Fight scenes are expertly choreographed using every cinematic trick in the book, while running the gamut of just about every type of mayhem that could possibly occur on an airliner (and just a few that probably couldn't).
The story, such as it is, hangs together well, and manages to include a few legitimate jabs at unrestrained corporatism and the excessive power of tech companies.
Fight or Flight reminded me, in the best way possible, of such 'B' classics as Snakes on a Plane, Big Trouble in Little China and Deep Rising - movies that keep you in the precarious position of laughing hysterically while sitting on the edge of your seat.
Believe it: this is non-stop cinematic pandemonium at its finest - an absolute must-see for fans of slightly demented action films.
