Fight Club

Movie Name: Fight Club

Year of Release: 1999

Director: David Fincher

Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto, Zach Grenier, David Andrews, Holt McCallany, Eion Bailey, Christopher John Fields, Bob Stephenson

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis & Review:

Following the underrated "The Game", director David Fincher returned to the screens with one of the most iconic films of 1999, and one that has remained one of his most immediate and recognizable titles: "Fight Club". The film is an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk and it trails the story of our narrator, who is never identified by name. He works for an insurance company, and lives a numbing life, going to support groups, faking ailments so he can sleep. While in these groups, he meets the dysfunctional Marla Singer, a chain smoker who is also a nihilistic, whom he becomes interested in. In one of his trips, he meets the charismatic Tyler Durden, a soap maker, who invites him for a drink. After a couple of drinks, the two start a brawl - this brawl slowly instigates them to create a Fight Club, a counter culture organization that gains momentum throughout the country, recruiting people whose main goal is to expose the fallacy of modern society and bring back reality to a simpler state of things. Marla eventually becomes part of this relationship, with unexpected consequences.
David Fincher is such a remarkable talent, that each of his films is not only a lesson in observing how a story can be told, but also a continuation of the expansion of his universe, where his lead characters are always somehow fighting against the establishment or have in their own unique way, something that sets them apart from the normalcy of life. "Fight Club" is one of his most iconic films, because of its theme, because of its irreverence, much like Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange". It's a film that makes you think, where our narrator breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience, and where the surprises are more than just a gratuitous hook for attention. Visually the film is stunning, with the director providing his unique style to enrich everything the narrator is describing. The cast is fantastic, with Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter creating indelible characters. The cinematography from the brilliant Jeff Cronenweth is unforgettable as is the score from The Dust Brothers. A fantastic film always worth revisiting.