Review of Fight Club (1999) by Barney O — 10 Jun 2017

WHAT I LIKED: There's no two ways about it; David Fincher's 'Fight Club' is absolute genius, and if nothing else it's just brilliant to see a big movie this clever and ambitious make it to the silver screen. After all, its intelligence is undoubtedly the biggest takeaway, as Fight Club's brilliantly creative story revolves around such interesting thematic concepts that you come away with those thoughts etched into your brain far more than anything else.

Now of course that could have made the whole experience rather dower and over-serious, but to counteract that Fincher establishes a tone that straddles black humour and punchy whit to maintain energy and deliver the ideas in a more light-hearted fashion. That's brought home not only by a fantastic script and great direction, but also by brilliant performances from both Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.

In the end, as a result of its light touch, the film thankfully doesn't feel like its pushing home a message; it's more so a presentation of ideals that the audience is then left to decipher and interpret themselves. That's a property of all great art, and it most definitely shines brightly in Fight Club.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The only thing is, an ideas movie is essentially what Fight Club tries to be, which is a slight issue when its themes are so conceptual. In a way there, I like to compare my issues with this with Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight,' as both films discuss their social ideals with? a slight detachment from reality without grounding those quandaries to keep things truly transcendent.

VERDICT: A blockbuster about ideas is a rare thing, but 'Fight Club' pushes many boundaries to deliver something enjoyable, thought-provoking and most-of-all ambitious. Well done Mr Fincher.