Fight Club

UK Release Date. 12 November 1999
Certification. 18
Running Time. 2 hours 19 mins
Director. David Fincher
Cast. Helena Bonham Carter, Edward Norton, Brad Pitt.
Rating. 72%

Review.

Based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, David Fincher's Fight Club tells the story of an unnamed narrator (Edward Norton) who suffers from insomnia. In an attempt to gain emotional sustenance, he routinely and illicitly attends numerous support groups, where he finds catharsis in the suffering of others. However, a seemingly chance encounter with the charismatic soap salesman, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) changes his life forever.

In the opinion of many, Fight Club is an iconic film, routinely listed as one of the best films of the 1990s. Released in 1999, Fight Club served as a reckoning with the 20th century as we readied ourselves for the 21st.

There is no doubt that Fight Club is visually impressive. The three lead actors - Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter - are superb. The audience's dilemma is whether to succumb to Norton's depression or Pitt's charisma. The film boasts an excellent first act and if Fight Club had continued in the same vein as explored in the first act, I genuinely believe it could have been a great film. But Fight Club descends into a visceral celebration of violence and toxic machismo. A nihilistic storyline where sad, impotent men destroy societal infrastructure in an attempt to feel powerful.

Worst yet, is the treatment of the central theme of mass consumerism. Aspirational, impossible, and as a result, ultimately vacuous. The narrator is a victim. Unable to forge real human connections, he fills his life with possessions. These trappings only serve to imprison and emasculate. Only at Fight Club will men like the narrator find freedom. Tyler Durden represents freedom. Freedom from the modern world. He isn't dependent on anything. Fight Club comes across as overt mansplaining of modern capitalist America. As subtle as a punch in the face.

Over the years, David Fincher has established himself as a director of dark and disturbing films. But I much prefer some of Fincher's other work to Fight Club, most notably Se7en, The Game and Zodiac. Hell, even Alien³, which Roger Egbert famously described as “the best-looking bad movie I’ve ever seen.”