Film Review

Rating: Null/10 (11 May 2003)

SPOILER ALERT!!! The question of what is a man in today society is the focus of the psychological thriller Fight Club. Directed by David Fincher and based off the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, this film examines the stature of working class men of today's world in which every thing is bought and consumed, leaving the basic instincts of men to be the powerful providers for survival are extinct. The film that can be described as film noir with its dark complexion of characters and landscape. It is centered on a working class insurance businessman who is could be said is going through a mid life crisis. This accompanied with his diagnosed insomnia eventually drive him to torment. He finds a release through self-help and support groups. Through this, he could eventually get in touch with his feelings although somewhat not his own, since he did not have any of the problems the groups were founded for. Edward Norton's character's substitute for his inability to express his own thoughts and feelings by going to these groups and feeling release is eventually ends when a femme fatal enters the film. Helena Carter's character is a dark, somewhat disturbed woman who feels life is close to nothing. She also attends these groups making Norton's character feel insecure once again.
Feeling major depression Norton by chance meets one Tyler Durden, Brad Pitt's character. A charismatic soap salesmen who feels men are not defined is what you have, but believing men are above materialistic things, that life should be lead in search of ones own self. After finding his apartment ruined Norton's character calls Tyler. After having a few drinks and while leaving the bar, Tyler asks for the main character to hit him. After some deliberation he does. This jump-starts what is known as fight club were groups of average class working men go to fight and relieve their aggression. Slowly the influence of Tyler almost takes over Norton's character. That is until the reappearance of Carter's character in which Tyler starts having a physical relationship. Norton's character and Tyler's make this `fight club' a success, but it quickly grows into a cult of men causing mischief, men blowing up stores, painting over billboards, this along with the appearance of the femme fatal start to separate the relationship between the two main characters. Finally, in the end Norton's character finds that Tyler is an image of his mind, that he has subconsciously planning these things himself and finally he planned the destruction of major credit card headquarters. Fight Club carries many themes. One, which is most evident, is the relationship of men to today's world and their inability to express themselves today. This basic theme is the catalyst of Norton's characters insanity, would it not be for his inability to release emotion his anger and side symptoms of insomnia would not have manifested its self as Tyler Durden and finally the only way to release himself is to going to primitive acts of destruction. Fight Club explores this theory of working class men of today having no control, drive, or outlet for themselves in today's society that can be argued to be structurally designed for men to act and think in certain ways with little control. Finally, Fight Club carries many characteristics of the new wave of film noir. Though placed in California, many of the scenes are shot at dark, in bars and bad neighborhoods. There is key aspect of the femme fatal who is the destruction of the main hero who has to solve a mystery of psychological proportions.