One of the most brilliant and bizarre movies of the 90s

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2014)

Despite its name, Fight Club is no dumb, goofy martial arts flick. It's the twisted, deeply psychological tale of a corporate desk jockey whose world is turned upside down by a chance encounter. It's a movie about breaking free from your boring, conformist existence. And it's an eye opening examination of modern consumerist society- wrapped in layers of shocking violence, oddball humor, and dream scenes and hallucinations reminiscent of Dali. It's weird. It's not for children or the faint of heart. And it will blow your mind.
Edward Norton's unnamed protagonist is an insomniac. For months the only way he's been able to get a good night's sleep is by going to support groups for problems he doesn't have. The emotional release he experiences with people worse off than himself allows him to loosen up, forget his troubles, and overlook the fact that he's a shameless faker. But things become even weirder when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) an anti-conformist rebel and self styled 'urban guerrilla.' Thrown together by literally explosive circumstances, the pair discovers a release from the pressures and monotony of modern life in the form of no-holds-barred, one-on-one combat.
Their idea catches on, and despite the number one rule of fight club being that you don't talk about fight club; their hobby rapidly grows into a secret society of like-minded nobodies. But as Tyler's nihilism and revolutionary fervor take hold, what was once a way to blow off steam becomes something much more sinister. And reality becomes blurred with fantasy as our unnamed hero finds himself in the center of a labyrinthine conspiracy of crime and destruction- one that everyone else seems to think he's behind.
An important thing to understand about this movie is that none of the major characters are entirely sane. Not Tyler Durden, who splices individual frames of porn into family movies down at the local theater and makes soap using stolen by-products from the local liposuction clinic. Not the Norton character, who freely chooses to live in a decrepit, horrifyingly unsafe old house with the man I've just described and increasingly comes to confuse hostility and not giving a damn with enlightenment. And certainly not Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) the chain-smoking, habitually lying nympho who attends all the same support groups as the protagonist for equally fraudulent reasons, regularly threatens or attempts suicide, and begins having a passionate if somewhat confusing relationship with Durden.
Another important thing to understand about Fight Club is that the movie itself is insane, in the best way possible. I'm talking Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction insane. Like a Tarantino film, Fight Club is unbelievably over the top, earning its R rating in every way possible. Again and again there are parts so shocking, so wrong, that you can't help but burst out laughing, and then wonder if you're as screwed up as the people on the screen. There are parts so bizarre that for a moment you're not sure that this is still the same movie. There are numerous seeming plot holes and bits that won't make sense until the end.
And then there are the inherent contradictions within the whole premise of the movie. At its core, Fight Club is about internal development and self-discovery- which are achieved by beating other people senseless in the basement of a rundown liquor joint and blowing stuff up. Our guide on this journey of enlightenment is an antisocial, borderline psychotic narcissist who takes a view of mankind similar to Thomas Hobbes and whose main concern is sticking it to the man. Plus, as previous critics and websites like Cracked.com have pointed out, his plan to take down the man and stand up for the little guy would likely result in the deaths of dozens if not hundreds of blue collar night shift workers. And don't even get me started on the dynamics of a movie that attacks consumerism and obsession with material wealth raking in hundreds of millions of dollars.
But none of this is a problem in the least. Fight Club isn't meant to be realistic or make perfect sense. The sheer absurdity of the situation is half the selling point, and any inconsistencies only add to its rich texture. This is pure escapism taken to –and beyond- its logical limits. When you get right down to it, Fight Club is the ultimate 'take this job and shove it fantasy. Tyler's brand of populist anarchy is sure to have a certain appeal to anyone who's ever felt bored with their life, been dissatisfied with their job, or run up way too many credit card bills. I suppose it's a good thing that this message comes from a criminal psychopath, or else someone might take it seriously.
Bottom line, there are really no words to describe how ludicrous, hilarious, action packed, and truly awesome this movie is. It may be the greatest 'guy movie' ever made. It's certainly deeper and more complex than most movies with its levels of sex, violence, and language. This is the kind of movie that will still be regularly quoted and shown at midnight screenings decades from now. Assuming that you have a high tolerance for mature content, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. Oh, and even if you already know the ending, go ahead and see it anyway. It will still be one of the most entertaining things you've seen in a long time.