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FIGHT CLUB
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars: Brad Pitt,
Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto
Director: David Fincher
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround
Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Anamorphic Transfer
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Features: See Review
Length: 139 Minutes
Release
Date: June 6, 2000
Film ****
Few directors have been capable of creating such visually
dazzling atmospheres. When you think of a visual filmmaker, names like Tim
Burton, Barry Sonnenfeld, Alex Proyas, or even the late, great Stanley Kubrick
come to mind. Well, you can add one more name to the list. After only three
films in the past seven years, David Fincher has become, I think, one of the
most brilliantly stylish directors making films today.
He came onto the scene in 1992 with Alien
3, whose visual excellence made up for its lackluster plot.
Then came 1995's Seven, one of
the best serial killer films ever made. Fincher's vision mixed in perfect with
an intense script. Then in 1997, he created a twisted puzzle of a psychological
thriller with The Game Now, Fincher
has delivered what I think will be his most superior, masterful film with the
one-of-a-kind movie experience that is Fight
Club.
The film begins by introducing us to Jack, played to absolute
perfection by Edward Norton, who has established himself as one of the great
actors of our time. Jack is an employee at an automobile manufacturer. On a
business flight, he meets the charismatic, flamboyant Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).
Tyler is a soap salesman who has an unconventional view of life. Having lost his
apartment to an explosion, Tyler agrees to let Jack stay with him. He teaches
Jack lessons about freedom and empowerment, then the two begin to physically
fight each other as a means of release and rebirth.
Pretty soon, other men discover this form of therapy, and soon Fight Club
is born. Tyler assumes leader of Fight Club, whose first and second rule are
"You do not talk about Fight Club." It's a club that encourages men to
beat each other up, just as you would think.
The concept alone is intriguing and somewhat original, but
it's Fincher restless style that turns it into a visual masterpiece.
Watching Fight Club, I felt my
senses being just as much assaulted as the first time I experienced Kubrick's Clockwork
Orange. The violence is very
graphic, and maybe too much for some viewers to stomach.
Most of the fights turn into brutal blood baths. Like Clockwork Orange and Natural
Born Killers, it's a film that is likely to give you a headache after
viewing the first time, but that's part of the overall effect.
There’s hardly ever been a film with a strong social statement like the
one in Fight Club, which is all about
a group of men who refuse to fall victim to everyday society and its rules.
Although Brad Pitt is the top-billed star of the film, a lot
of credit should go to Edward Norton. Ever since his astounding debut in Primal
Fear, he has turned in one amazing performance after another. Now that his
monumental work in American History X
garnered him a second nod; people are finally starting to take notice of his
fine screen presence. In Fight Club, he turns in yet another winner. His narration helps
guide us through this bizarre atmosphere. To
give you an idea of how amazing the dialogue in the narration is, at one point,
Jack discovers an outrageous twist, and his voice over narration says, “Please
return your seatbacks and tray tables to their upright position”. This
perfectly acknowledges that he, along with the audience have been completely
fooled. It’s simply amazing to experience.
Casting Brad Pitt for the role of Tyler Durden was a great
decision. He is truly perfect for the role of a man with different views of
life, which trigger his questionable actions. Tyler Durden could be considered
more of a restrained version of Jeffery Goines from 12
Monkeys. Pitt is usually preferred as the romantic lead, but I think he
fares much better in films like this and Seven
and 12 Monkeys, where he really shines
in more intense roles.
Fincher has also been known for throwing a surprise twist or
two into his films. He did it so well in The
Game and Seven, but in Fight Club
there’s a twist that comes way out of left field. I won’t reveal what it is,
except it sort of delves into Sixth Sense
territory, but it doesn’t just end at that.
Fight Club is a brilliant piece
of cinema with a remarkable vision. It
shows the work of an amazing filmmaker who dares to have the audience jolted at
every possible twist and turn. David Fincher is a rare movie director who keeps
making one terrific, original, dazzling movie after another. I can’t wait to
see his next film.
Video ****
First off, I would like to immediately announce that this is
the best DVD release of the year so far. Fox threw all that it could into this
release, which is the first of the studio’s double disc editions. As much as I
love this movie, I found the treatment this disc got was worth every amount of
effort. Keep it up, Fox! Now on to the video quality. Quite simply amazing with
a capital A! The picture is always alive, whether showing off its dark colors,
or it’s bright ones. No grain detected at any moment. Fincher’s last two
movies, Seven and The
Game, were strangely not given the anamorphic treatment. However, Fight
Club is given one glorious anamorphic enhancement.
Audio ****
About all of David Fincher’s films that are available on DVD
all have stellar audio transfers, and so I had a feeling that the audio transfer
on Fight Club would be that of a
knockout. The result equaled my expectations a hundred percent. In fact, very
few discs have been able to rock me out of seat almost with the audio quality,
but Fight Club just about did that.
It’s a transfer that even puts a disc such as The
Matrix to shame in terms of perfection of sound. The kinetic techno score by
The Dust Brothers blasts blasts through the speakers in crisp, clear form. Truly
an outstanding job.
Features ****
It doesn’t end with the transfer; there are some exciting
extras to cause a knockout. First off, there are four separate commentary
tracks, including a terrific one with Fincher, Pitt, Norton, and Carter that is
very informative and occasionally funny. Also included are 17 short featurettes
on the making of the movie, deleted scenes, a huge publicity section including
trailers, TV spots, and even ads for the movie that were exclusive to the
Internet! It’s a disc so filled to the brim with extras, that it might take
you more than a day just to get through everything.
Summary: