Fight Club

Now this is interesting. Fight Club will be the first review I write for something that I truly have a love/hate relationship with. Very few movies have been able to bring both of those emotions out of me. My love spans the acting and look of the movie. My hate lives and festers with the story. That being said, my hatred is the kind that can only develop when something actually makes me care. So the math still adds up to sunshine and puppy dogs. Although I hate puppy dogs too…

If I am going to take time out of my day to expound upon Fight Club, I will always start with the 2 actors at the top of the bill. Although these may not be the best performances of Brad Pitt or Edward Norton’s respective careers, silver medals are not out of the question. The Tyler Durden character is another in a long line of over-the-top Pitt performances. It may not have been as crazy as Snatch. or Twelve Monkeys but not many sane people, acting or otherwise, could pull off that shaved head and feathery vest combination. The man just commands the screen whenever he appears. As for Norton, this isn't Derek Vinyard from American History X but he is just as believable as a man who has clearly lost his mind. His desperation throughout the movie mirrors my own when I attempt to comprehend the plot. Although the 2 big name actors carry the movie with ease, Helena Bonham Carter still needs a little praise thrown in her direction. It is always fun to see her show up because she always comes with a unique look and memorable mannerisms. The lady can smoke a cigarette like nobody’s business. Also Meatloaf with what the dialogue so cheerfully describes as bitchtits. Extolling the virtues of the acting could go on forever but we’ll cut it off here and move on to Fincher. I love his visual style. Everything from the tricks he uses to show the straight from the Ikea catalogue apartment to the Tyler Durden subliminal shots all the way to the sheer brutality of the fight scenes. The man knows what to do with a camera and keeps improving his game.

A quick explanation about my feelings towards the overall plot of Fight Club is probably necessary. The story is original and has a make or break twist at the end. Sadly, I fall in the break camp. I just don’t buy it. Explain to me the mental state of the first group of followers who decided that the guy beating the shit out of himself seems like the fella to take orders from? And why the hell would you let him behind the wheel? Finally the climatic scene is hilarious. A man can put a gun in his mouth, pull the trigger, kill his alter ego, somehow only blow a hole through his cheek, not pass out and in fact stand up and talk. Just move the hell along.

Although I may find parts of the storyline laughable and not as deep and meaningful as some believe, Fight Club is still well worth the price of admission. In fact I could only be so lucky to have all movies be powerful enough to aggravate me at this level. The combination of Fincher, Pitt, and Norton was hitting on all cylinders. Until the point arrived where I actually had to rationalize the plot, there have been few movies that entertained me to this degree.

9 out of 10