Fight Club had a lot to say

Rating: 8/10 (14 November 1999)

Saw it, loved it.
Norton is something else. Fight Club had a lot to say, and did so in an interesting manner. The movie really explored what it is to be a man in this pre-millennial era. Never occurred to me that it was nearly 3 hours long.
Project Mayhem showed that men are desperate to follow anyone who is a strong leader, even if the ideals espoused by that leader are totally wacko. In a time when lots of men are chained to their desks at mid-level boring jobs; where women seem to want a sensitive, intelligent, bad-boy, psycho biker; the film did a great job of highlighting the contradictory messages about power, strength, machismo, and the male self image.
The movie was not perfect, however. Bonham-Carter's performance was great (and hopefully will help dispel her Merchant-Ivory image), but her character was not used to its full potential. Meat Loaf was fantastic as "bitch-tit" Bob -- just the right mixture of humor and sensitivity. The movie did lose a little in its pace during the height of the Project Mayhem weirdness.
However, I will not soon forget Norton's final confrontation with his auto-exec boss. That scene was priceless. I highly recommend Fight Club.