A film review by Nick Stewart Copyright © 1999 Nick Stewart

"It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye" is a phrase we've all heard from some concerned relative at some point in time or another, invariably somebody old and who seemed to want to ruin all our good times. David Fincher's (Seven, The Game) new viscerally brutal masterpiece, Fight Club, revels in the exact opposite of this phrase: that metaphorically losing an eye is exactly where all the fun and games truly begin. This unrelenting, steamroller-at-the-speed-of-a-freight-train of a movie grabs you by the throat and forces this and countless other ideologies down your throat while dazzling you with its spectacular visuals and acting.

Fight Club's central character, a nameless Narrator (Edward Norton), has slowly come to the realization that his menial life is empty and hollow. Working as a recall assessor for a major, unnamed car company, Norton finds that the emptiness of his consumerist, materialism-defined, socially-controlled lifestyle has pushed him to insomnia. In an attempt to feel better about himself, he decides to attend a Testicular Cancer Survivor support group, where he finds himself not only able to cry, but now also able to finally sleep. Norton then becomes, over the course of the next year, a support-group addict, attending a different one every night of the week. His routine becomes shattered by his encounters with two people: a fellow "tourist", a slovenly and suicidal Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) who seeps into each of his groups, and Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a self-made anarchist and home-made soap salesman who Norton encounters on a plane ride. After his apartment inexplicably explodes, Norton moves in with Durden, whose lifestyle includes pissing in people's soups in fancy restaurants, and splicing porn frames into family films in his job as a projectionist. The two start beating each other to a pulp outside of a bar every Saturday, for the thrill of it, and gradually their hobby attracts other like-minded men who eventually allow them to form a club, naturally called Fight Club.

The acting is nothing short of phenomenal. Edward Norton is excellent, as always, as the world-weary and socially-controlled Narrator, giving the character a certain Everyman feel. His frustration shines through every moment of the movie, but not overpoweringly so. Norton plays his character with such talent that we see every bit of ourselves in his character, sympathizing completely with his feelings of powerlessness in a generation raised by advertiser-controlled television. Brad Pitt also does extremely well, pulling off what I consider to be the finest acting he's done in his whole career. I loved him as the psycho in Twelve Monkeys, and his performance here is even better than that. Consider him what Jeffrey could've been had he remained sane in Twelve Monkeys. Oh yeah, and let's not forget Meatloaf's unforgettable run as Bob, a guy who, because of hormone treatment used to deal with his testicular cancer, has some of the biggest breasts you've ever seen.

Special mention also has to go out to the mind-blowing cinematography which adds every bit to the film's atmosphere. Whether it's showing Norton's apartment filling up with IKEA furniture as walks around, or taking us on a path through his brain, cells, skin, sweat and finally down his nose to the barrel of a gun held into his mouth, the film images are mesmerizing and likely to stick in your mind for a long, long time.

Acting and cinematography aside, how was Fight Club itself? Critics all over the entertainment industry have berated it, calling it "an endorsement of fascism", "a glorification of violence" and "ugly and pointless". While there's no denying that this is an extremely gritty movie, a sort of American Trainspotting about powerlessness and redemption instead of heroin addiction, Fight Club endorses fascism like Animal Farm endorsed Bolshevism: not at all. The director uses the bare-fisted violence in this movie as a metaphor for seizing the moment and not being shoved into life's spectator seat by the juggernaut that is modern materialist society. Again, the movie does use fascism to a point, but only to demonstrate the consequences of being overzealous in ignoring life's consequences. There are far too many ideas, concepts and philosophies that are brought up in Fight Club to mention here, but suffice to say that this movie could easily work its way into college Film Studies courses once it hits video.

All in all, Fight Club is a powerful, bloody, and mind-blowing masterpiece. Between Oscar-calibre performances from its stars and a visual feel that you won't soon forget, it's a rollercoaster of a ride. Slip and fall at any point, and you're going to be left behind, as the movie does not wait for its viewers. "Seize the moment, don't let things define who you are, don't blandly accept what consumer-driven society feeds you", the film screams at you, while grabbing you by the throat, throwing you into the ropes, and clotheslining you every time you think you've got a handle on the movie. More haunting than Seven and grittier to boot, Fight Club isn't for everybody, but those who can handle its shocking violence and gore while seeing the movie's true messages for what they really are will find themselves rewarded with the best movie experience of the year.

	Running Time: 139 Min | Rated R | US Release: October 15th | More >>

Related Links:

• Official Site
• Edward Norton- Fight Club page
• Upcomingmovies.com: Fight Club
• Fight Club Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.