First Rule Is To Watch This Movie

Rating: Null/10 (26 September 2004)

In a year, where The Matrix astounded and stretched our imaginations with amazing CGI graphics. Everyone was surprised by Bruce Willis' acting and the ending of The Sixth Sense. Sorry for a spoiler on a different movie, but that is a different matter altogether. This is a year, where the fan boys were not best pleased with Lucas' prequel to now the second greatest trilogy in cinematic history. This was a time when sequels were king, like Austin Powers; The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Toy Story 2, and mass hysteria was occurring on the Internet about some project of a witch.
Yet out of the mass huddle of good movies, which one defines the film year of 1999? It could be said that the David Fincher 'Fight Club' could have clinched it for me. The plot outline is like this
POSSIBLE SPOILERS.
A disenchanted white collared office worker is having trouble going to sleep. After nights and nights of sleepless nights, he encounters a therapy group for those who suffer testicular cancer (in which he does not suffer from). By going to this group, he feels like he is being noticed, and it becomes more and more of an addiction. He attends groups, where he does not suffer a single virus, parasite, tumour or cancer, because he 'needs' it. However this all changed, when a woman called Marla also attended these therapy groups. She was also like the office worker, a 'faker'. This annoyed the office worker, since if he knows that there is a faker around, and then he cannot enjoy his time in the group and therefore cannot sleep. Through agreement with Marla, they get to go to the different groups, without actually seeing each other. Our main character usually travels across America, whether Fort Worth International in Dallas, or J.F.K in New York, he was always in a different place, trying to work out whether a car should be taken out of production (this is his actual job). On the way back from a job, he meets Tyler Durden; a suave cool snappy dresser, who's main job was making soaps. They become friends, and when the office worker's flat gets blown to smithereens by a faulty gas line, and then he stays over Tyler Durden's 'house' (more like a shack). However before this occurs, Tyler asks the office worker to do one favour, to punch him as hard as he can. This was the beginning of Fight Club; a club in which men literally beats the seven shades out of each other, and feels very good about it, almost enlightened in a way.
There are several reasons why I like this movie a lot. My first reason is that it portrays itself as a cool movie, whether by its acting, the lines, the cinematography, or just he soundtrack. By watching this movie is like watching the Fonz in action, just coolness in motion. It has that aura which encapsulates me. Second reason, every actor in this movie deserved his or her place in this film. Brad Pitt's epitaph would say 'Here Lies Tyler Durden'. This must have been one of Norton's best movie roles, (the other one being American History X). Also it is good to see Helen Bonham Carter playing against her typecast, which is usually a prim English rose in a Merchant Ivory production. Meat Loaf also has to get a mention, for providing some humour with his prosthetic 'bitch tits'. I would have to say a funny moment. The cinematography is well done, especially the portrayal of the city as a dark, grimy underbelly of perverseness and violence. Fincher has shown this type of cinematography in Seven, which made me feel like I should have a shower straight after viewing the movie. It makes you feel you are watching these fights and acts firsthand. Finally, I would have to say that the soundtrack done by The Dust Brothers is exquisite. Each notes just accompanies the movie very well.
To conclude, this is one of those movies which will define the millennium. A movie for the disenchanted men, almost like Nirvana for the working population. Watch this movie, and just marvel at how great the movie is.