Stunning, faultless cinema

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2002)

It is rare that a film so brilliant in every possible aspect comes your way, and even rarer that such a film will receive all the recognition it deserves. Some of the most brilliant pieces of cinema ever made (eg. Mulholland Drive, eXistenZ, Exotica) will be critically acclaimed, but largely ignored, while other films will be hyped to a ludicrous extent, but pale in comparison to some less widely-seen films. There are, however, exceptions. "Fight Club" is one such exception.
Impossible to fault, David Fincher's apocalyptic satire and social dissection is a masterwork that proved, much to my surprise, to be every bit as brilliant as critics and viewers alike claimed it to be. Edward Norton's acting performance is one feature well and truly worthy of a mention, with his stunning job of the nameless narrator being everything that earlier performances such as "Primal Fear" promised. Yet it would be wrong to single Norton out without recognising the sheer brilliance of the entire supporting cast - Brad Pitt proves the immense extent to which he is wasted in most films, Helena Bonham-Carter is faultless, Meat Loaf Aday astonishes, as does Jared Leto. So many mindblowing performances are almost never seen together in the one film - Fincher could not have done a better job of bringing out the acting potential in each and every member of his cast.
A fertile and brutally perceptive script goes perfectly alongside Fincher's stunning cinematography, present yet wasted in the apparently disappointing "Panic Room" (I have not yet seen it myself). Even the grotesque violence can be forgiven in such a film as this, when acting, direction and scripting are all perfect. I doubt that Hollywood will so brilliantly hit the spot again in the near future - "Fight Club" was a work of rare genius and will, I believe, remain extremely high on my list of films for some time yet. 10/10