Lose Everything to Do Anything

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2019)

A restless and troubled man subscribes to the idea that "the things you own end up owning you." He finds liberation in letting go of fear, consumerism, rules and other forms of control. Pain has a way of focusing the mind, letting the chips fall where they may, and it becomes something that he craves. With like-minded individuals he creates underground "fight clubs" where anger and depression melt away with severe beatings, increasingly extreme violence and virtual anarchy. By losing everything we are free to do anything. This is the mantra until he finds something he wants to hang onto.
Fight Club is a shocking, quirky, raw, innovative and twisted thriller. It is well-crafted and fortunately I didn't figure out the drift of the storyline until the end. The film is more exhilarating for that. Fight Club is full of thoughtful quotes and inventive camera-work that provide pleasing depth. So do the performances of Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. While it is awkward at times and stretches belief, stranger things have happened in real life.