The anti-establishment masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2001)

Fight Club is a rare movie. It is one of those movies that stress the anti-establishment movement in this country. This movie can be taken many ways. Simplistically, it can be taken as a good story of a guy who hates his job and tries to change it. Dramatically and philosophically, it can be taken as a deeply moving movie. The Narrator, played by Edward Norton, is the poster boy for the Mass Market Consolidation of America. He wears his CK Shirts, his DKNY pants, and sleeps in his IKEA bed. Throughout the course of this movie, he eliminates all of his material possessions to shed his human skin. And then comes the Fight Club.

Critics like Roger Ebert condemned Fight Club due to its `Graphic displays of violence.' I am forced to disagree. While one might admit that the fighting scenes might be a bit graphic for some people, it has its place in the movie. The fighting is a simplistic way of coming to terms with the animal instincts that we are bred with. `It isn't about winning or losing,' The Narrator states. It isn't about trying to kill the other guy; it is about releasing all of the emotions that we are forced to suppress. After a hard fought battle, the 2 competitors embrace, and there are no ill tempers. The fighting is pure in essence, and is analogous to the Bible. The 10 Commandments are similar to the Rules of Fight Club. The 1st and 2nd rules of Fight Club are, `Do not talk about Fight Club!' The 3rd rule of Fight Club is if someone taps out, goes limp, says I quit, the fight is over. The 3rd rule is intact so people do not cause serious physical damage to each other. As the Commandments were made to secure the humanity in man, the Rules of Fight Club were also meant to do the same.

The Narrator, with the help of Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, tries to form his own reality. He enlists people to commit acts of social disobedience. One can see these acts as petty and trivial. Another can see these as acts against the establishment. They desensitize all of the movies in blockbuster, they destroy a computer store, and they try to tear down a local coffee shop. The people trained to do this are like drones. They are taught not to think for themselves, and to do as they are told. Robert Paulsen, played by Meatloaf, says, `The 1st rule of Project Mayhem is you do not ask questions.' Tyler Durden tells his minions, `You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same piece of decaying matter as the rest of us.' This destruction of the human spirit has destroyed the individualizing qualities that make man special.

The Narrator is taught by Tyler to believe that to achieve success, one must hit rockbottom. Not just thinking you are there, but actually being at rockbottom. Tyler explains, `What do you think hitting rockbottom is like some kind of a switch that can be turned on or off at will?' With this, Tyler proceeds to put HCL Acid on The Narrator's wrist, which immediately starts to dissolve. When the ordeal is over, it leaves a burn scar all over The Narrator's wrist that will stay there forever. Another case is when Tyler starts to drive on the wrong side of the road. He waits to see whether The Narrator is going to try to take charge of the situation. Tyler starts, `If you were to die now, would you be happy with your life?' The Narrator responds, `No, get on the right side of the road. All right, what do you want to hear? I am not proud of my life. I have nothing good to say about my life.' Tyler reacts, `Look at you, you're pathetic, just let it go man, just let it go.' After that, the car crashes, nearly killing all inside. Rock bottom has just been hit.

This movie is very powerful, down to the very end. It has massive social implications that apply to all human beings. This movie stresses how we are becoming a commercialized culture that is constantly being desensitized to all off the negative emotions that we experience. Why should one care if people in Somalia are starving, if we have our Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and are listening to the Backstreet Boys on our Sony Home Theatres? Why should one care if the animals in China are being abused and mistreated if we are driving our Cadillac's with the roof down, with our children playing their Gameboys and watching their movie on a portable DVD player. This movie shows us why we should care, and what will happen if people don't.