Fight of the year
"Fight Club"
Overall Rating: ***½
So far this year, I've reviewed three films where the hero abandons his cubicle, and with it, conventional culture. "Office Space" was a straightforward comedy about what happens when someone in an office suddenly stops caring. In the touching drama "American Beauty," a middle-aged, white collar worker wakes up to the fact that he's lost the joy of living he used to have. "Fight Club" is the same basic premise--though it takes an action film approach, with an emphasis on lost machismo and banality of luxury. Curiously, like the other two, this distinctive approach mostly works.
When the film opens, the narrator (Edward Norton) is being held with a gun to his head. To explain this, he takes us in flashback to his old job, investigating car crashes for an auto maker; at that time, he was living in a haze. When a doctor--annoyed at his insomnia complaint--sarcastically suggests he see real suffering at testicular cancer support group, the narrator goes; the narrator soon becomes addicted to support groups--going to every one he can find. This helps him, until he realizes that Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) is doing the same thing, and the threatening presence of another fake undermines the support he derives. Things are really turned upside down when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). Tyler sells soap. Tyler also has a plan for the world--a violent plan. The first part is the formation of a secret society: Fight Club.
What's not to like about "Fight Club"? For one thing, it glorifies violence--the nihilistic terrorist in the film is definitely portrayed as a hero--albeit an insane and dubious hero. While many people may fantasize about destroying all the kitsch in the world, "Fight Club" comes perilously close to suggesting that people should actually do it.
This suggestion, however, is somewhat mitigated by the sheer weirdness of "Fight Club"--but that leads to another problem. Like "The Sixth Sense," "Fight Club" comes to depend on a single gimmick--only the particularly strange gimmick here doesn't completely work. For instance, it seems to make it impossible for Tyler to have met the narrator the way he did. Another character's identity is confusing, exacerbated by frequent use of fake names. The final scene, where a major character is killed, is also very confusing.
Despite the flaws with the central gimmick, there are also some points that support it well. The film has plenty of nice touches, if you pay attention. One of the film's themes, that society is emasculating men, is reinforced by the central character turning to victims of testicular cancer--men who have lost their testicles, and in some cases developed breasts--for support. Tyler, who believes that commercialization is destroying humanity, lives in what is essentially a ruin--an old house in a part of the city that's been industrialized. The film also has a viscous wit, exhibited, for instance, when some members of Fight Club lure hundreds of pigeons to the roof of a Mercedes-Benz dealership--with predictable results. Laughs aside, the film presents a dark vision of modern America and presents it well--if you're familiar with director David Fincher's earlier effort, "Seven," you'll know how dark and how well. Throw in a plot that remains unpredictable, and you have an interesting film that holds your attention.
Partially, this is bolstered by the performances of the two stars. Norton and Pitt both are very effective in capturing their characters' world views, and their conflict. The film is further enriched by the narrator's internal conflict--should he conform or rebel?
Another plus is the staple of any modern action film: good special effects. The numerous fight scenes are very well choreographed. Several imagined sequences, most notably a mid-air plane collision, are not only imaginative but well done.
"Fight Club" is a film for adults only. There is a great deal of strong language and sexual content, including nudity. The big concern, obviously, is the violence: it's pervasive, it's bloody, and it's anti-social in every sense of the word. "Fight Club" is possibly the most violent film this year.
"Fight Club" is also definitely the strangest film this year. That aside, it's worth a look, because "Fight Club" is one of the more interesting films this year.
Title: "Fight Club"
Release date:October 15, 1999
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ***½
Aprox. run time: 139 min.
Director: David Fincher
Writers: Jim Uhls (screenplay), Chuck Palahniuk (novel)
Stars: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf (plays Bob)
Overall Rating: ***½
So far this year, I've reviewed three films where the hero abandons his cubicle, and with it, conventional culture. "Office Space" was a straightforward comedy about what happens when someone in an office suddenly stops caring. In the touching drama "American Beauty," a middle-aged, white collar worker wakes up to the fact that he's lost the joy of living he used to have. "Fight Club" is the same basic premise--though it takes an action film approach, with an emphasis on lost machismo and banality of luxury. Curiously, like the other two, this distinctive approach mostly works.
When the film opens, the narrator (Edward Norton) is being held with a gun to his head. To explain this, he takes us in flashback to his old job, investigating car crashes for an auto maker; at that time, he was living in a haze. When a doctor--annoyed at his insomnia complaint--sarcastically suggests he see real suffering at testicular cancer support group, the narrator goes; the narrator soon becomes addicted to support groups--going to every one he can find. This helps him, until he realizes that Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) is doing the same thing, and the threatening presence of another fake undermines the support he derives. Things are really turned upside down when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). Tyler sells soap. Tyler also has a plan for the world--a violent plan. The first part is the formation of a secret society: Fight Club.
What's not to like about "Fight Club"? For one thing, it glorifies violence--the nihilistic terrorist in the film is definitely portrayed as a hero--albeit an insane and dubious hero. While many people may fantasize about destroying all the kitsch in the world, "Fight Club" comes perilously close to suggesting that people should actually do it.
This suggestion, however, is somewhat mitigated by the sheer weirdness of "Fight Club"--but that leads to another problem. Like "The Sixth Sense," "Fight Club" comes to depend on a single gimmick--only the particularly strange gimmick here doesn't completely work. For instance, it seems to make it impossible for Tyler to have met the narrator the way he did. Another character's identity is confusing, exacerbated by frequent use of fake names. The final scene, where a major character is killed, is also very confusing.
Despite the flaws with the central gimmick, there are also some points that support it well. The film has plenty of nice touches, if you pay attention. One of the film's themes, that society is emasculating men, is reinforced by the central character turning to victims of testicular cancer--men who have lost their testicles, and in some cases developed breasts--for support. Tyler, who believes that commercialization is destroying humanity, lives in what is essentially a ruin--an old house in a part of the city that's been industrialized. The film also has a viscous wit, exhibited, for instance, when some members of Fight Club lure hundreds of pigeons to the roof of a Mercedes-Benz dealership--with predictable results. Laughs aside, the film presents a dark vision of modern America and presents it well--if you're familiar with director David Fincher's earlier effort, "Seven," you'll know how dark and how well. Throw in a plot that remains unpredictable, and you have an interesting film that holds your attention.
Partially, this is bolstered by the performances of the two stars. Norton and Pitt both are very effective in capturing their characters' world views, and their conflict. The film is further enriched by the narrator's internal conflict--should he conform or rebel?
Another plus is the staple of any modern action film: good special effects. The numerous fight scenes are very well choreographed. Several imagined sequences, most notably a mid-air plane collision, are not only imaginative but well done.
"Fight Club" is a film for adults only. There is a great deal of strong language and sexual content, including nudity. The big concern, obviously, is the violence: it's pervasive, it's bloody, and it's anti-social in every sense of the word. "Fight Club" is possibly the most violent film this year.
"Fight Club" is also definitely the strangest film this year. That aside, it's worth a look, because "Fight Club" is one of the more interesting films this year.
Title: "Fight Club"
Release date:October 15, 1999
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ***½
Aprox. run time: 139 min.
Director: David Fincher
Writers: Jim Uhls (screenplay), Chuck Palahniuk (novel)
Stars: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf (plays Bob)
Labels: Movie review, ReviewsbyJohn
posted by John at 10/24/1999 04:39:00 AM
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