grabs and holds you but lacks a really strong ending

Rating: Null/10 (15 February 2002)

Surreal, mind-boggling story from director David Fincher about a burned-out businessman who's fed up with his life and looking for something new. He does this by first developing a liaison with a dissolute woman, then by "befriending" a slightly deranged soap salesman who helps him form an underground network of fight clubs where grown men relieve their frustrations by beating each other senseless...but that's only the beginning. Good direction, stunning visuals, and an engrossing story are bolstered by a perfectly stilted performance from Norton, a wildly over-the-top performance from Pitt, and a finely tuned performance from Bonham Carter, but the finale doesn't make much sense and seems tacked on. Still, there's plenty to take in, and a lot of intriguing, satirical viewpoints about society's balance of power. **½