A Modern Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (27 September 2005)

"This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time." Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel bored with life? Frustrated with your job and the people around you? Do you ever feel like you've wasted your precious time on this Earth? Do you ever feel like you can't feel at all? Well, "Fight Club" is the movie for you.
Many (who haven't seen the film) seem to be under the impression that "Fight Club" is a big, dumb, brutish, excessively violent guy movie about some kind of brutal kick-boxing club. This couldn't be further from the truth.
Here's the real plot: Our unnamed protagonist and narrator (Norton) is a man who hates his job and everything around him (Sound familiar?). He has a crippling case of insomnia which he can't seem to cure. He is a zero in a vast sea of electronic digits. Then he meets the enigmatic Tyler Durden (Pitt), a hip, confident funk song of a man; in other words: everything our narrator isn't. After a rather unfortunate event, he comes to live with Durden, and the two inadvertently become the founders of a club for disaffected men to take out their frustrations on each other. But eventually, Durden injects his own twisted ideals into "fight club" and it becomes something much larger and important. It also becomes a nightmare for our protagonist. By the way, wondering why the narrator goes unnamed through the entire film? My guess would be to stress the impersonality of the modern age.
At first glance, it may seem like these men hurt each other because they are nothing but raging piles testosterone with nothing better to do. While this may play a minor role in their actions, the main reason they fight is because they are victims. Victims of the age of computers, credit cards, and Starbucks. They fight because they feel nothing and they want, long, and need to feel something, anything. They relish inflicting pain. They relish receiving pain. They relish the fact that they can feel. But don't be fooled and think that this is a depressing, unrelentingly serious film about deprived individuals; "Fight Club" is as much a comedy as a drama or a thriller. I actually found myself raucously guffawing on more than several occasions throughout the 2+ hour running time.
The film is beautifully photographed and masterfully directed by David Fincher, who drenches the film in his wonderfully original and fantastically stylish approach, but the style is not a gimmick to cover up a shoddy film; it works. It works perfectly. Fincher has always had a strong visual flair, and "Fight Club" may be his most aesthetically interesting film yet. The film also features some fantastic acting, principally from Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Norton gives a dead-on performance as the frustrated every-man, and Pitt gives a very spirited performance as Durden, who may just be the biggest celluloid badass since Clint Eastwood's "The Man With No Name". Helena Bonham Carter is also notable as the only prominent female character in the film.
Another strong contributing element of the movie is the fun soundtrack. The film's instrumental hip-hop/techno score, courtesy of The Dust Brothers, really enhances the experience; I can't imagine the movie without it. And as a personal plus, the film uses two of my favorite songs of all time: "Goin' Out West" by Tom Waits and "Where Is My Mind?" by Pixies (which are both utilized perfectly).
But what is probably the most fascinating aspect of "Fight Club" is the way it dissects the psyche of a mentally unsound individual. But you will know what I'm talking about when you see the movie, I won't spoil it for you.
Also, don't be fooled by the critics who condemn the film for being overly violent and graphic. I quite simply do not understand this claim. There are a few brutal fight scenes and maybe two gun-wounds. It is not excessive or graphic. It is necessary to the plot.
"Fight Club" is not about action. "Fight Club" is not about convention. "Fight Club" is not about brutality. "Fight Club" is about the adverse effects of our modern dystopia. "Fight Club" is about enlightenment. But most importantly, "Fight Club" is about rebellious, impeccable, and thoroughly entertaining film-making. "Fight Club" is a modern masterpiece.
9.5/10