Fincher doesn't cease to amaze

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 1999)

What to say about David Fincher...
Well, Alien3 was a compliment to the series, Se7en was a great serial killer thriller, The Game, although it stretched the imagination like silly putty, was nonetheless a masterpiece, and now, Fight Club.
On the surface, at least in the previews, it looked like it was going to be an over-the-top, bloody, violent, fighting movie and, to a certain extent, it was. But the whole underlying message against consumerism, coupled with a plot twist late in the movie that turned it into a sort of paranoid thriller, not to mention amazing acting performances, made this movie one of the best things to happen, not only in 1999, but to film altogether.
It had everything - Cinematography, wonderful direction, a great selection for the cast (whoever decided on Bonham-Carter, commendations are in order), and amazing dialogue. The script was full of quotes and monologues that will be pilfered for years to come, from the well known "I want you to hit me as hard as you can", to the clever "On a long enough timeline, everyone's survival rate drops to zero."
Some say that the theme of anti-consumerism was enough, and that the plot twist (which I'm certainly not going to reveal, it's one of the best twists I've seen in a long time, and I can't imagine how horrible it would be to have someone *tell* you.) was unnecessary. I don't usually criticize people, but I don't understand the reasoning. First of all, the movie is based on a book. And, while you could simply change the whole thing around and just use the central theme, that would kind of be in poor taste. Secondly, it wasn't confusing, didn't take away from the original theme, and threw an element of suspense that was not present before. It also made you think "Wait... is that possible?" And, for me, literally forced me to see it a second time. While you could make a point that seeing it again dabbles in irony, what with the anti-consumerism theme, the second viewing was a completely different experience, which only adds to my utter amazement at this film.
If you can't stand violence at all, then maybe this isn't the film for you. But if you can deal with some fighting scenes, which were pretty graphic, and some sickening gunshot wounds, weeding your way through that will certainly allow you to reap the benefits of a movie that is definitely worth two hours.