Review of Fight Club (1999) by Christopher E — 30 Jun 2016

Mad and crazy, "Fight Club" is a unique story that will leaving you stunned with its dark comic drama.

Edward Norton plays the role of a young man stuck in a lousy world where he suffers insomnia and addiction. On one lonely flight, he meets Tyler Durden, a man who sells soap. Tyler begins to teach him that pain and misfortune are valuable things to experience in life and together, they form Fight Club.

This is one of those movies where if you haven't watched it, find a copy ASAP before it gets spoiled for you. I actually went a long time without having this movie spoiled for me until just a few days ago. Although the big surprise was ruined for me, I was still able to view this movie with fresh eyes and an open mind. In that, I think that it's fair to say that this will definitely be considered a classic, no matter how disillusioned or awkward this movie may be at times.

This is definitely one of the more interesting stories I've gotten to see and since I really knew nothing about it going into it, I won't talk too much about what this movie is about. Let me just say that this movie is definitely a dark comedy and one that delivers a unique story. There are so many different lessons and messages that can be taken away from this film that there's not much point in talking about them, but just know that they're there. If anyone is looking for a well written story that's gritty and satire, this is the right place to go.

One thing I did and didn't like was the fourth wall breaking narration of the film. I guess you can't really call it fourth wall breaking because Norton is considered to be the narrator, but it felt like it to me. It just made some things very awkward and convoluted at times, while being kind of a cheap way to advance the story. I get that it adds to the comedic and darker style that the film is trying to go for, but I just don't think that they had to go in that direction.

One thing I really liked was the dark comedy in this movie. It definitely worked in the sense that although the movie made me laugh, I laughed at things that I probably shouldn't have. Obviously that's the goal of a movie like this and I loved it. There were so many comedic and crazy moments that just got me going and this is definitely a dark comedy for the ages.

Admittedly, I was very underwhelmed by about the first quarter - first third of the entire film. I recognize that attempts were being made to understand Norton's character more and I appreciate that, but the narration to me just made it all kind of boring. I was never really hooked until Brad Pitt was introduced and they formed their club together and until then, it felt like an awkward, bumpy ride. It felt like the movie didn't know where it wanted to go and it definitely stopped this movie from being flat out amazing.

The performances in this movie were definitely something to recognize. Although I like Edward Norton, I only thought he did a good job in this movie, not great. I felt like he played the part to the best of his ability, but I honestly don't envision him being the best option for this role. I understand that his character is supposed to be the other side of Brad Pitt's character, but he's still the weaker half between the two. Brad Pitt on the other hand put on a crazy and strong act here. Every time he was on screen, I was either laughing or intrigued by what he was saying. His character is so chaotic that it makes the movie feel spontaneous and daring, and he was the best part of this movie.

In the end, there's not much I want to say about this movie without actually spoiling anything. Here, it sounds like I had more negatives to say than positives, but it really was a great film. It is confusing at times, but it's interesting, satirical, and controversial in all the best ways.