Fight Club - 1999

Fox 2000, Regency Enterprises

Directed by David Fincher

Cast:

• The Narrator – Edward Norton
• Tyler Durden – Brad Pitt
• Marla Singer – Helena Bonham Carter
• Richard Chesler – Zach Grenier
• Robert Paulson – Meat Loaf
• Angel Face – Jared Leto
• The Mechanic – Holt MaCallany
• Ricky – Eion Bailey
• Steph – Evan Mirand

Story: “On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.” An insomniac seeking a way to overcome his disability becomes addicted to self-help groups. In the groups, he discovers his release for pent up emotions and desires, only to have his peace disturbed again by Marla Singer. Marla, unlike our hero, is at these sessions to relieve her boredom. “Why do you do it?” “Its cheaper than a movie and there's free coffee.” Our hero returns to his insomniac ways, and meets Tyler Durden, and entrepreneur who makes and sells soap, “the benchmark if civilization.” When his apartment is gutted by an explosion, our hero calls Tyler and asks him for a place to stay, and Fight Club is born. It grows into a self-help group of a different sort, allowing men to take out their anger and frustration without malice toward each other, and share their frustration with the modern world. Tyler and our hero conduct Fight Club and seem to be making progress, when Marla returns to the dynamic and Tyler begins having a loose affair with her. In the process, our hero begins to be jealous of the dynamic. Suddenly Fight Club becomes Project Mayhem, and our hero realizes his control is gone. And when he realizes that the control is his and always has been, well, don't want to give it all away, but this is one of the strangest endings you could hope for.

Review: Fight Club has often been called the Guy Flick of all time, and for good reason. No deep romantic involvement, no hidden feelings coming up to conflict, a man's movie for men and then some. Pitt and Norton play well together, and the two are excellent at the polar opposite roles that somehow mesh into the single purpose. Helena Bonham Carter is perhaps the only actress in Hollywood who could have pulled this off, and her nonchalant, “I don't fucking care.” attitude makes for a great counter to the guys. Meat Loaf, Jared Leto, Eion Bradley, Evan Mirand, and Holt MaCallany are spectacular in their roles, and the entire film meshes together to form one of the most interesting and bizarre pieces of modern “noir” I can think of. Definitely not a film for the kiddies, and if you don't like foul language, sexist attitudes, or obscene images, not the film for you. You ought to see this film as a rental before you decide to purchase. I did, and I did.