Are
you tired of your boring, dead end job? Are you frustrated, do you suffer from
a severe case of insomnia? Are you sick of being beaten down by that funny thing
called life? Welcome to the world of Jack (played by two time Oscar nominee Edward
Norton). While trying to get his life situated, the hum drum and reserved Jack
meets the grungy, hyper-kinetic Tyler Durden (played to the energetic hilt by
Oscar nominee Brad Pitt). Before long, Tyler helps Jack and many others figure
out how to cope and fight back through the Fight Club, a group in which members
pummel one another until only one is standing.
To
call Fight Club (based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk) a breathtaking, visceral
kick would be an understatement. Director David Fincher (Alien 3, Seven, The Game)
has fused so many genres in a unique provocative way and shows so much passion
and innovation in his directing style, that Fight Club seems to be a whole new
breed of film. Fincher even shows some traits that fuel the work of the legendary
Stanley Kubrick.
Fight
Club has already been attacked for unnecessary brutality and for being a film
that only appears to have something to say. These people have obviously missed
the point. I don't think Fincher has an interest in making a profound statement
about life in his movies. He just wants to make films that are interesting and
keep the audience on their toes. He's done both here. It should also be noted
that this film is satire (think Natural Born Killers) and shouldn't be taken so
seriously. As far as the fighting in the film, it's more about taking a hit than
giving one. These are men who've found a way to let go of their fear and move
on with their lives, only they've gone to extreme, radical measures to do so.
Fincher
has rounded up an extremely talented cast. Pitt has beefed up and gives a lively
performance reminiscent of his part in 12 Monkeys. Norton plays it subtle, and
chose to show off more of a normal physique (unlike his shape in American History
X), but it works because he's playing the everyman. Also good are Helena Bonham
Carter as a drug addicted love interest, and singer Meatloaf as a sensitive cancer
victim with abnormally large breasts (no I'm not kidding).
Above
all, Fincher has created a very funny movie about addiction, love, passion, and
the power of the all consuming machine known as big business, and he's done so
with uncompromising skill. With the millennium approaching, it weaves it's tale
around the evil that is known as the big corporation. The funny thing is, the
movie becomes what it's members loathe most.
Fight
Club, at it's core, isn't only brilliant satire, but a bizarre, poignant love
story as well. It's also a film with a twist that rivals even the biggest mystery
in The Sixth Sense. With all the curve balls life throws us, this film, in it's
own audacious, exhilarating way, shows that it's nothing worth beating yourself
up over.
