Rated R (Disturbing and Graphic Depiction
of Violent Anti-Social Behavior, Sexuality and Language)
Running Time: 2 Hours & 19 minutes
Cast-
Edward Norton-The Narrator
Brad Pitt-Tyler Durden
Helena Bonham Carter-Marla Singer
Michael Lee Aday/Meat Loaf-Robert 'Bob'
Paulson
Jared Leto-Angel Face
Zach Grenier-Richard Chesler
Rachel Singer-Chloe
Eion Bailey-Ricky
Evan Mirand-Steph
Thom Gossom Jr.- Detective Stern
Peter Iacangelo-Lou
Joon B. Kim-Raymond K. Hessel
Van Quattro-Detective Andrew
Markus Redmond-Detective Kevin
Michael Girardin-Detective Walker
Directed by David Fincher
Note: This is a review of the Steelbook Blu-Ray released in Germany in 2008, which was superseded by the "10th Anniversary Edition" released in the US a year later.
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| "Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club!" |
David Fincher's "Fight Club" is
certainly one of the strangest films I have ever seen with its powerful social
message mixed in with bloody, sadistic violence but is it as good as fans make
it out to be? I'm happy to report that it is despite a somewhat unfocused
script. In fact, “Fight Club” is an excellent and unique film that warrants
nothing but a full recommendation. It will
change the way you perceive the world.
Based on the 1996 novel of the same name written
by Chuck Palahniuk, "Fight Club" tells the story of...well, he has no
name but we do know he is played by Edward Norton! This narrator works at an
automobile company who travels to accident sites to see if a product recall is
needed. He does this by using a simple formula and if the cost is less than the
out-of-court settlement, a recall is issued. The Narrator also suffers from
extreme insomnia. To cure this, he attends support groups (such as those
recovering from testicular cancer) and finds weeping to be an emotional outlet
for him, allowing him to sleep. Unfortunately, another 'tourist' named Marla
Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) disrupts his routine and the insomnia returns.
While returning from a business trip, the Narrator meets the charismatic Tyler
Durden (Brad Pitt), who makes and sells soap. The two strikes up an immediate
friendship and after a freak accident that causes an explosion at the
Narrator's condo, Durden invites him back to his home on the condition that he
hit him as hard as he can. The two end up enjoying a fist fight and soon they
attract a crowd. A 'Fight Club' is born. I don't want to say any more about
what happens because this is something that you have to experience for
yourself.
"Fight Club" is one of those
films that you cannot use words to explain. The film is incredibly funny at
times, featuring some black comedy and satire to keep it from being depressing.
An example of this comedy occurs at the beginning where Norton's character is
hugged by an enormous man (played by musician 'Meat Loaf') with 'bitch tits,'
and he narrates that by surrounding himself with people who are really suffering, he can finally sleep
normally. Another scene that stood out is when Durden splices single frames
from pornography into family movies that appears for only a split-second.
'Nobody knows that they saw it, but they did...a nice, big cock,' he remarks.
What really made "Fight Club" turn into such a cult classic is the
way the story attacks consumerism as Fincher's film is pretty much
anti-everything. This theme will require a lengthy explanation so let's get the
other stuff out of the way first.
If there's one thing that people
remembered when they watched the film back in 1999, it's Brad Pitt's amazing
performance as the insane yet clever Tyler Durden. I know a lot of people rag
on the actor because he's 'too pretty' but you can't deny how excellent he is
in the role and it's a mystery as to why he didn't even get nominated for an Academy
Award. He is to "Fight Club" as Heath Ledger is to "The Dark
Knight." Durden is just a man, but the way he speaks has a magnetism that
is hard to ignore, making you blindly follow him and not question his motives.
He always has a plan, and explains how people around him have become so
obsessed with material possessions. There's a big twist near the end of the
film that reveals his relationship to the Narrator but again, this is something
you'll have to found out for yourself. Suffice to say, thanks to Pitt's
excellent performance, you can't help but start listening to Tyler Durden.
Edward Norton is also excellent playing the everyman character. He even looks
like a man who's just going through the motions, watching as his life flies by
and allowing his possessions to define who he is. I must applaud his commitment
as while filming, he starved himself while Pitt worked out. There's a reason
for this but it ties into the twist. Helena Bonham Carter offers a great
performance as well and does a fine job with an American accent. If I didn't
know that she was British, she seriously could've fooled me.
"Fight Club" is filmed in a
unique visual style that often makes it look bland and boring. Scenes that have
Durden take place in torn down, dilapidated settings that serve to highlight
the Narrator's decaying sense of reality. Many scenes are incredibly dark and
the only lighting used is the ones that were already there at the time of
filming. Even the lurid color palette creates a sense of unease in the viewer.
Unfortunately this style doesn't especially lend itself well to Blu-Ray. Making
it worse is the fact that the master copy used wasn't in good condition as
there are black specks that pop up constantly. Many of the night scenes look
incredibly fuzzy. "Fight Club" on Blu-Ray is currently only available
in Germany so you'll have to import it, but I highly do not recommend this due
to the poor video quality. Fortunately, audio is solid as we're treated to
life-like and brutal sound effects during the fist fights. It does come in a
stylish steelbook but unless you're a diehard fan or a collector, wait until
20th Century Fox announces it for North America as "Fight Club" is by
far the worst Blu-Ray transfer I've
ever seen.
Now comes the interesting part. Just what
is the point of Fincher's film? Well, that's just it because the point is left
ambiguous to the viewer. The film attacks consumerism head on with the Narrator
talking about how he is obsessed with the 'Ikea nesting instinct.' He owns all
of this great furniture to present himself as a happy, normal person but in
reality, he's nothing inside. At one point, he remarks that his refrigerator
has only condiments but no food. Condiments only serve to make food taste
better but they can't be actual food. We buy all this stuff that we think we
need so that we can make ourselves appear to have substance, but in fact, we
don't. Durden also says that men today are raised by an increasingly matriarchal
society and many times, the film questions masculinity, such as when the
Narrator points out a Calvin Klein advertisement and asks, 'Is that what a real
man is supposed to look like?' This goes hand-in-hand with the Ikea nesting
instinct that Durden sees as a result of men being 'feminized.' "Fight
Club" also attacks advertising because it gives people a false sense that
you're special. You're not special, your job doesn't make you special, the
money in your bank account doesn't make you special, the kind of car doesn't
make you special, and what you wear doesn't make you special. 'You're the
all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world. You are not special. You are not a
beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as
everything else,' he says. What of the fight clubs then? Well, since all the
men participating have an emptiness inside, the fight club fills that
emptiness, gives them a sense of purpose, makes them a man. So is it glorifying
violence? Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't; this is something you'll
have to decide for yourself. By the end, Durden has come to attack all
institutions and value systems, seeking to simply destroy. Is he right that
we're all controlled by flashy commercials and the objects we own? That we work
so hard to make ourselves feel special but end up leading purposeless lives?
Again, you'll have to answer those questions yourself. "Fight Club"
is a film that has incredible depth and you could spend years nitpicking but it
does make the story a little all over the place and you're left with a lot of
questions. Perhaps this is what David Fincher wants. To make up our own damn
minds!
Despite its unfocused plot, I see no
reason not to give "Fight Club" a full score. It remains as Fincher’s
magnum opus and one of the best films I've ever seen, due in no small part that
it will change your perception of the world. Not a lot of movies do that and if
you find out that a friend hasn't seen "Fight Club," tie them to a
chair and make them watch it. It currently holds an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes but
it ended up flopping at the domestic box office, making only $37 million. Only
by factoring in the overseas gross did it cover its $63 million budget. “Fight
Club” still remains as one of the most talked about films to this day, its
themes dissected and debated or dismissed as nothing but a bunch of
pseudo-philosophical babble. Nonetheless, there’s no denying its impact. You will come to obey Tyler Durden!
Final Rating: 5 out of 5
"It's only after we've lost
everything that we're free to do anything."
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