Not as provocative as it thinks, but still a hit

Rating: 9/10 (22 October 1999)

I was looking forward to this since I'm a fan of David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter, and since I read and liked the novel. For the most part, I wasn't disappointed, until the end. Not the plot twist(when I read the novel, I thought it was a rip-off of a famous thriller, which I won't name, since it'll give away this one, but it plays much better in the movie. Also, you have to admit Fincher et al played fair with the audience before pulling the twist), but Project Mayhem and so forth; that seemed out of control and unnecessary. Still, this is almost nothing like you've seen before, and unlike many visually-oriented directors, Fincher puts his talents in service of telling an interesting story, so you're carried along. And all three leads are terrific, as is the supporting cast(including an almost unrecognizable Jared Leto, formerly of MY SO-CALLED LIFE, going blond here).