Re-Review- Fight Club
In honour of Valentines day, I've decided to spend some time with my true love: David Fincher's Fight Club. In short, every Valentines day, there will be no review of a love film or something sloppy like that. No, you will get a review of a film that I adore with passion. Therefore it only seemed sensible to start with my (current) favourite film of all time. Buckle up, make some soap and most importantly, don't talk about Fight Club.
So, what happens in Fight Club? What is it about? Why can't we talk about it? Well, this is a film that is truly best enjoyed when going in blind so I'll give you the very basics. The Narrator of our twisted tale (played by Edward Norton) is an insomniac who finds solace in visiting support groups. His life is ending one minute at a time and he's powerless to stop it. That is, until he meets the enigmatic Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) a soap salesman who works as a waiter and projectionist as a side project. After a tragic event befalls our narrator, he goes to live with Tyler, But one day, The Narrator and Tyler are sitting in a bar and Tyler asks The Narrator to hit him. As hard as he can. So begins Fight Club and what follows changes the lives of the all singing, all dancing scum of the earth that are the main characters.
Now, where do I start with how to praise this film? Let's start with the acting. Edward Norton has a career defining performance as our Narrator. His delivery is deadpan and frequently hilarious and carries the movie, as a true narrator should. But Brad Pitt is the star of the show here. Tyler Durden is one of the coolest characters ever created. He doesn't care about anything. He lives in his own little world, beating people up, causing mayhem and telling the masses that they're not precious little snowflakes. He's a twisted character but a pure joy to watch. We then also have Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Marla. I don't usually like HBC but she has some killer lines here. While they're simply too filthy to write on this blog, I recommend you check them out for some dark humour. The whole cast in this film plays a part and they all play it perfectly. It's undoubtedly the best performances of Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, HBC and Meatloaf (although I do love him in Rocky Horror).
To the cinematography! The whole thing looks awesome. It has a style that's all to it's own. I also consider it to be a near perfect adaptation of the book. The first time I saw the film I hadn't read the book but between then and now, I read the book and I can safely say that the film captures the essence of the book perfectly. It takes all the ideas, themes and quotes you love (with one of Marla's toned down considerably) and puts them in one entertaining, not overly long film that doesn't need to be split into two or three books. I highly recommend the book to anyone who loved the film and vice versa. But what's also important is that the film keeps it's tone the whole way. There's an underlying tension the whole time as you never really know what's about to happen but it also has a darkly comic tone that's equal parts funny and disturbing. You feel bad for laughing but you can't help it. It's just a funny film in places.
But Fight Club's crowning glory is it's twist. You almost certainly know the twist, it's one of the most famous ever but I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it. Regardless, it's a twist that hits you entirely out of the blue. But then you see the film again. And you realize it's not quite as subtle as it looked. Little hints give the game away, And each time you see the film, a new hint pops up again and again. Sure, the twist throws up a few plotholes but those are easy to overlook and can be explained to those who pay attention to the story. Surprising and totally predictable, it's a twist that manages to impress me each time. That's why this film is so great. Even after repeat viewings, it is just as entertaining, if not more. Seriously, you won't watch this film once.
Basically, this is by far and away my favourite film ever. It's stylish, it's funny and it's cool. Oh, and it's super quotable. I am Henry's adoration for Fight Club and I give this film the perfect score of:
Now, where do I start with how to praise this film? Let's start with the acting. Edward Norton has a career defining performance as our Narrator. His delivery is deadpan and frequently hilarious and carries the movie, as a true narrator should. But Brad Pitt is the star of the show here. Tyler Durden is one of the coolest characters ever created. He doesn't care about anything. He lives in his own little world, beating people up, causing mayhem and telling the masses that they're not precious little snowflakes. He's a twisted character but a pure joy to watch. We then also have Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Marla. I don't usually like HBC but she has some killer lines here. While they're simply too filthy to write on this blog, I recommend you check them out for some dark humour. The whole cast in this film plays a part and they all play it perfectly. It's undoubtedly the best performances of Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, HBC and Meatloaf (although I do love him in Rocky Horror).
To the cinematography! The whole thing looks awesome. It has a style that's all to it's own. I also consider it to be a near perfect adaptation of the book. The first time I saw the film I hadn't read the book but between then and now, I read the book and I can safely say that the film captures the essence of the book perfectly. It takes all the ideas, themes and quotes you love (with one of Marla's toned down considerably) and puts them in one entertaining, not overly long film that doesn't need to be split into two or three books. I highly recommend the book to anyone who loved the film and vice versa. But what's also important is that the film keeps it's tone the whole way. There's an underlying tension the whole time as you never really know what's about to happen but it also has a darkly comic tone that's equal parts funny and disturbing. You feel bad for laughing but you can't help it. It's just a funny film in places.
But Fight Club's crowning glory is it's twist. You almost certainly know the twist, it's one of the most famous ever but I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it. Regardless, it's a twist that hits you entirely out of the blue. But then you see the film again. And you realize it's not quite as subtle as it looked. Little hints give the game away, And each time you see the film, a new hint pops up again and again. Sure, the twist throws up a few plotholes but those are easy to overlook and can be explained to those who pay attention to the story. Surprising and totally predictable, it's a twist that manages to impress me each time. That's why this film is so great. Even after repeat viewings, it is just as entertaining, if not more. Seriously, you won't watch this film once.
Basically, this is by far and away my favourite film ever. It's stylish, it's funny and it's cool. Oh, and it's super quotable. I am Henry's adoration for Fight Club and I give this film the perfect score of:
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