David Fincher's Best and One of My Favorites

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2012)

I'm just going to cut to the chase: FIGHT CLUB is awesome. I wish the marketing for the film had been a tad more honest because I put off seeing this movie until almost a decade after it was released. And, even then, I only watched it because I was at a buddy's place and needed something to watch. I was totally caught off guard because I'd always assumed it was just some testosterone-fueled beat-down with some bare bones semblance of a plot. This was before I knew of the awesome that is director David Fincher or author Chuck Palahniuk. This movie is much more than I expected, it's masterfully done, and it's developed a bizarre following on the Web. I just think it's an awesome movie. It's become one of my favorites. The movie follows a nameless protagonist (Edward Norton) who narrates the film. He's an insomniac wallowing in his empty life when he crosses paths with a charismatic soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). When the Narrator's apartment goes up in a mysterious explosion, he turns to Durden and together they form an underground fight club where men can let loose and beat the tar out of each other. The fight club is only the beginning, as the clubs gain popularity and spread across the nation. The members eventually devolve into a near cult status with Tyler Durden as their leader and the next phase of his grand schemes comes forth: Project Mayhem. Have I mentioned that FIGHT CLUB is awesome?
The movie's got everything I could ask for: slick humor, brutal fights, a complex plot, and great characters. I really enjoyed SE7EN but FIGHT CLUB would be the movie that solidified David Fincher as one of my favorite directors. It's become a modern classic that I've seen on countless top-ten lists. The movie touches on a variety of subjects that brought controversy and mixed reactions from critics and audiences. The movie (or more specifically, the character of Tyler Durden) has become an icon for his anarchistic views and anti-establishment terrorism. His anger towards consumerism and our culture's obsession with its possessions is a powerful message, but his acts of domestic terrorism don't seem to hurt his cause much. There is a lot going on in this movie and, with its perfectly built reveal at the end, there is a lot to love here. Even knowing the "surprise" from the end before settling in to watch this movie, I was blown away. I love the dark humor in the movie, with some of the best moments occurring when characters break the fourth wall. The style of the film works perfect with the dark content and would become the first of many collaborations between Fincher and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth with a visual signature that's easy to recognize. All of the elements of this movie come together to make one of the best modern films and a favorite to many (most of them apparently on the Internet). Really, I'm not surprised.
I figure it's a given that Edward Norton is a talented actor. I've loved his performances in pretty much every movie I've seen him in. So there's nothing to worry about here as he plays the nameless Narrator, a corporate drone whose life has been much been sapped from him. Norton makes a perfect straight-man to the insanity he invites into his life. His introduction to Tyler Durden is both the best and worst thing that has ever happened to him. Durden is, of course, Brad Pitt. The best part about Pitt in the role is that it made me respect him. I'd always seen Pitt as your average Hollywood pretty-boy but his turn as a total lunatic in FIGHT CLUB proved that he had some skills. He's insane and totally charismatic. It's not hard to see how people could buy into his crazy anti-establishment preachings. He's equal parts hilarious and threatening with absolute confidence in his practices. And then there's Helena Bonham- Carter as Marla Singer, a walking corpse fresh out of a Tim Burton movie. She somehow manages to be attractive while slinking through the film looking like a meth addict. She's the "not love interest" to Edward Norton. A bizarre parallel to the Narrator's skewed views of reality. Finally, I have to mention Meat Loaf. Yes, for those of you who somehow haven't seen the film yet, Meat Loaf is in the movie as Bob. He's a minor character, but there's no forgetting Bob and hisuhdeformity. Good stuff. There's a hundred reasons to give this movie a chance so I recommend it. If nothing else, it's a great movie to provoke some interesting post-viewing conversation.