Remarkable depiction of humanity.

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2008)

Yes, Fight Club is controversial. It is also violent, gory and deliberately cheap.
Furthermore, it is one of the most poignant depictions of materialism and human nature in film history.
From start to finish, it is loaded with sarcastic remarks on today's society. There are so many visual hooks and catchy thrills that you won't get away with watching it just once.
Essentially, Fight Club is a story about consumerism. The main character, brilliantly played by Edward Norton, is a victim of the society's requirement to make a lot of money and then spend it on furniture and other false delights. He cannot sleep and he doesn't have any real friends.
Once his material fortune is destroyed by a fire, he has no choice but to turn to Tyler Durden, an alpha-male who lives in a dirty squat and makes soap for living. Tyler is the character Brad Pitt was born to play.
Then there's Helena Bonham Carter as the tortured misfit who can't make her mind up on anything.
And that's about everything that can ethically be reveal about the plot. You have to see the film yourself and get impressed, time after time.
There are no guarantees that you will love Fight Club. A load of people have been angered by it. In my opinion, that's exactly the film's forte. Whatever you think of it, you will think something of it, and you will never forget what you've seen.
Some have criticized it for being pro-violence. I have no patience for their point of view. Fight Club is a hugely ironic portrait of human mind taking a wrong turn. If anything, it's strictly against any form of violence, mental or physical.
David Fincher has directed revolutionary music videos for Aerosmith and Madonna, among others, as well as some formidable thrillers, such as The Game and Panic Room. Here, he outdoes himself. He jam-packs the flick with genius visual clues and lines Tarantino should envy.