Get ready for a knock out film review of Fight Club, a classic 1999 drama film.

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2017)

Fight Club Review 1999 Drama Film By Elizabeth Grese
Welcome to Fight Club! A dramatic expression of escape created by a man whose reasons for living was nothing short of pathetic. Correction: created by two men. Meet our nameless narrator played by Edward Norton; a man monotonously living his life clouded by his insomniac state. We are introduced to the second main character, Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt. The third main character, Marla Singer played by Helena Bonham Carter, was a constant in the film – although is portrayed as a lunatic. The dynamic of the duo started fight club and broke the monotonous state of the young man. As fight club progressed, what was a secluded expression of emotions morphed into schemes far more violent than intended. The progression of the film starts to reveal uncertainties of what is perceived as the plot. Plot twist and nothing is as it seems.
When defined, film noir is the term for crime drama that emphasize particularly on cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. The definition of film noir basically sums up Fight Club. Having never seen the movie previously, my idea of the plot consisted of bloody battles. As I watched the beginning of the movie, I was so sure of myself that I had the plot right. I was shocked when the plot thickened with the use of film noir- the relationship with Marla (sexual motivations) and the creation of the fight club followers (crime and cynical attitudes.)
The intricacy of the films in terms of the plot and layers of madness is none-the-less incredible. Fight Club exceeds pre- conceived expectations. In addition, when re-watching the movie, subtle clever hints tell the peak plot even in the first few scenes. I would urge new watchers and ultra Fight Club fans to take a second look at the filmmaker's placements of people, places, and things.
The fight scenes in the basement created the feeling of grimy, pain and freedom. These feelings were portrayed during the film by the narrator as well. The lighting has a major play in how these feelings are presented. The dim lighting and semi-spot light on the two fighters creates the focus point. As the importance of the fight scenes are the two men fighting not the spectators around. During the basement fighting scene, Tyler Durden states the rules of fight club – one of which no shirt or shoes are allowed. This 'costuming' portrayed the plot point of the fight scenes being a freeing escape. The representation of no clothes often is referenced as a freeing feeling.
"The things you own end up owning you."
The intricacy of the character Tyler Durden and his perspective on the world created an underlying aspect to the plot. His opinions of meaningless material goods and corruption of consumer markets was the basis of Project Mayhem. The ending scenes, blowing up the credit card skyscrapers, used location as an example of his opinion on the corruption of material goods; more specifically, money. This film references what is often see as a modern day societal problem. The intricacy of the plot and portrayal of character Tyler Durden was an ingenious idea directed and produced.
"The first rule of fight club: don't talk about fight club."
One of the most iconic film quotes was from Fight Club. As a first- time viewer, I had noticed the subtle and prominent classic references to and by this film. If this isn't enough to spark your interest to watching this well-known film, then surely a shirtless roughed up Brad Pitt will certainly do.