You are not to talk about Fight Club.

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2003)

Imagine a year when the Sopranos were born, when a man goes through a rebirth in American Beauty, when Magnolia is more than just a flower-1999-the year Fight Club was started.
I am driven to believe 1999 was a hallmark year for movies and Fight Club was no exception. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt star in a movie about a bunch of guys living the vida loca in underground street fighting. At first glance the movie could be passed off as mere tripe hadn't you looked closer.
It's taken me a long time to figure out what to write for Fight Club. I mean it isn't everyday a movie comes out and changes who you are and makes you believe that there is more to life then just the breath away from death that we are. Indeed, I don't know how to explain it better than to say Fight Club makes you think about who you are and what your purpose in the world is irrespective of the fact that others around you are doing the same thing. In other words, it brings a sense of awe to life that it reduces you to the common gene pool we all came from at one point in history. Anyway, that is what I got out of it.
The film was shot with a gritty, green filter that renders everything aesthetically street-real. I can liken the filtering system to that of Hart's War. If you had seen Hart's War then you would know that it had a blue tinge that gave it a cold dark feel. In Fight Club the mood is more industrial and grimy, hence the filter. The film also features classic rebel costumes that are subdued by way of lighting. In fact much of the clothes are not out on display much like other movies since the clothes either have an unkempt look or are not being worn at all. This movie's costumes are definitely not the Grease type of clothing.
The sound is incredible, from sounds of fists hitting raw meat to blood splattering on the floor. This movie is not for the faint of heart. The sounds only enhance the realism of the fights in that if the fights aren't watched they can still be heard adequately to surmise the outcome.
The story is what makes this movie special. As I had mentioned, this movie came out in 1999, a time when the end of the world was at hand. I'd like to think though that 1999 was a time when movies really had something to say about the society we built for ourselves. The Sopranos did this by showing the world really was dependent on a sub-culture of humanity that tailored its businesses to human vices. American Beauty showed that our lives are a pink slip away from true living, true being. Magnolia's assault on society's morals are shattered by the film's often times relapse to parental affection. And what of Fight Club? A film that embraces the idea that there is a life if we lose all that we have to gain all that we can. Fight Club goes beyond simple movie making by showing us what we can achieve if we step out of ourselves-if we act on the thought-if we live by our dreams.