A fun, energetic and exhilarating motion picture experience from one of the most ambitious directors to come out in the 90s...

Rating: Null/10 (21 October 1999)

Once in a while, there is a film that is so over-the-top and outlandish, that you don't have any other choice but to sit there and relish in all its greatness. Such a film is `Fight Club,' the second best film of the year. It is a fun, energetic and exhilarating motion picture experience from one of the most ambitious directors to come out in the 90s.

Like `American Beauty,' this year's best film, `Fight Club' makes the audience look within themselves and really ponder our existence, our place in the world, our inevitable fate and all those hours in between. The difference between the two films is that `American Beauty' takes a somber route and leaves certain elements to be pondered afterwards, whereas with `Fight Club,' the audience is pounded over the head with a sledgehammer with its thematic message.
This is David Fincher's fourth Hollywood picture. In 1992, he gave America one of the best-looking bad movies ever, Alien 3. He made his mark in 1995 with the intense, disturbing and intelligent psychological film, `Seven,' which is the best thriller of the 90s. Then in 1997, Fincher collaborated with Michael Douglas for the mind-bending `The Game.' `Seven' is one of the best films I have ever seen; whether I love `Fight Club' more is still in question.
The performances were flawless across the board. Edward Norton gives, yet, another powerful performance as the Narrator. This is his third best performance, after `American History X' and `Primal Fear.' Brad Pitt, a fine, underrated actor, is right at home here. He was also the star of `Seven' and here is another well-balanced role. I haven't seen many films with Helena Bonham Cater. I know she usually does English films, and I admired her choices she made for the role. In this film, she has made me want to rent some of her earlier works.
The whole Fincher-look to the film (yes, he has a look) complimented the story, the actors and the grittiness. This is a very violent film, containing some of the most violent sequences I have ever seen. The camerawork and cinematography was beautiful. There were some really wonderful shots in `Fight Club,' such as the camera moving through the contents of a garbage can.
`Fight Club' is, definitely, a guilty pleasure. The film is violent and darkly comic. There are moments where you may feel bad for laughing, but who cares? It's just a movie. At two-and-a-half hours long, this movie moves pretty quickly, in my opinion. The mega-twist ending comes out of left field and a very unexpected time; at first, it seems very contrived. It makes the entire film experience take a much different direction than you would have anticipated. You will not be able to predict this film and that is one of its greatest achievements. This is the second best film of the year, after `American Beauty.' See both films, back-to-back, with a friend and you'll have one of the most engaging conversations about life, your place in the world and your fate.