Fight Club

Cool. That’s the one word that really characterizes Fight Club. This is just hands down a very cool film. The story follows a man’s quest to find himself. Our hero starts out as a sheep, a consumer, one of the jaded millions who defines themselves based on their furniture. But when he meets a enigmatic stranger named Tyler Durden his life begins to turn around. With Tyler’s help he starts to realize how his life has become someone else's, he is a product being bought and sold by the pathetic rituals of modern society. And he is very pissed off. The protagonist and Tyler start an underground fighting club, called Fight Club. Why? Well, how much can you really know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight. And for a few seconds when you’re fighting nothing else matters. He finds the freedom that he thought was lost in the mastication of Fight Club. But of course everything is not what it appears…

I don’t want to say this is a guys film, but it probably will appeal to men more. The story is about breaking free of confines, escaping the prison of modern life. The sage-like Tyler shows us that we need to accept that one day we are going to die. That it’s only when we loose everything that we are truly free to do anything. And this is the thrust of the film; the message. The themes: rebellion, liberation, self-awareness. Through these men we can see how our own lives could be better. And I cannot help but agree. This film could have come off very heavy handed, cheesy; but it doesn’t. The message is sound. Pop culture is eating away at our souls, and if we don’t fight back, we will be lost. And to be honest if you don’t understand or agree with that, then screw you, this film isn’t for you.

Fight Club has a dark and smoky look to it. The scenes are sparingly lit, and the camera stays back, away from close ups for the most part. Certain scenes in particular are amazingly shot. The Director of Photography, Jeff Cronenworth (who also did Se7en for Fincher), did an amazing job here, especially with the actual fighting scenes. I also really liked the editing, which in itself plays into the fiber of the film. So really sneaky stuff is put into the film here, and after the twist ending when you simply have to watch this film again, I at least started to notice a whole lot of things I’d missed the first time around. This film has a subtle genius that is rare. Much that you think you know about the story, you really don’t and the look of the film responds to that well. I also really liked the art direction, the costuming, the effects, and even the music. This is one of those films where everything really feels tied together properly. Everyone seems to have been working towards a common goal, and it is achieved admirably.

One of the reason they actually managed to pull of a film like this was the really strong performances all around. Ed Norton plays the protagonist, Bard Pitt in his finest role plays Tyler Durden, and Helena Bonham Carter plays Marla, the dysfunctional love interest. All are excellent actors at their best here. Norton especially is completely believable as the pedantic everyman, leading a life of quiet desperation, just waiting to break free from his cell. Really this was just fantastic work all around.

The direction by David Fincher was inspired too. The film has a cohesion rarely seen in big budget Hollywood fare. The actors gave very fine performances, the editing was crisp, and the message was clear. I think this obviously had to do a lot with some great source material from author Chuck Palahniuk. But Fincher definitely has a strong hand in this film , the feeling, the tone, the entire atmosphere work in unison to tell this story the best way he can. I think this is Fincher’s best work to date, and I’m really glad he’s working to bring such interesting films to life. Excellent work.

This movie may not be for everyone’s taste, but it really is a solid film. The themes are strong and well explored. And it’s quite unique in execution. This film is made for the disenfranchised. It shows us that there can be change, and is definitely worth the time invested.