Review of Fight Club (1999) by Imilhofer — 27 Dec 2013

Fight Club saddened me. After the dark subtlety of Se7en, I was expecting Fight Club to be similarly atmospheric and engaging. Instead, I got a thoughtless plot bashed out in front of me with about as much sensitivity as Brad Pitt has body fat.

The story was so peculiar, and not good or interestingly so, that I lost interest very quickly. The 'shock' ending wasn't even enough to redeem the two hours of nonsense I had just endured. Norton gave a characteristically stale performance, and Brad Pitt, although fairly energetic and likable, offered little theatrical contribution, unless an unnatural six-pack counts.

All in all, the pace and (sometimes) the feel of the film was good, but it was headed in the wrong direction and carried by a bad actor and a painful lack of subtlety. A mediocre film but Helena Bonham Carter sure was cool.