Why Hello there.
I’m Kym, a complete film fanatic and this is my series of reviews that will hopefully take you down memory lane to a time where films were epic or you remember them being so…
Enjoy!

 

Oh no, I know what you’re thinking. Yet another film based on a book and a very good book too, Chuck Palahniuk’s first published book and the one that made him famous but hold on a second, this is David Fincher after all…

Although this wasn’t Palahniuk’s first written novel, this is his darkest. After being rejected by publishers for his first book being ‘too dark’, Palahniuk went away and wrote the darkest thing that he could think of and for some reason, that’s what got him published.

Following the success of ‘Seven’, David Fincher was starting to make a name for himself after starting his career by making music videos for the likes of Madonna. So in 1999, he was able to transform a cult book into a masterpiece using what had become his trademark techniques. I mean, the title sequence alone is what makes the film, just as the opening of ‘Seven’, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, ‘The Social Network’ and ‘Zodiac’, Fincher is the master of the opening credits. The camera pans through the inner workings of a brain to exit out of the gun that’s nestled inside Edward Norton’s mouth and already, the audience has a sense of urgency created within the first two minutes, now that’s good directing.

The film, starring Ed Norton and Brad Pitt has spawned a huge cult following with people like Eli Roth being huge fans (Roth dressing up as Tyler Durden every Halloween). This following has made Fight Club become one of the highest ranking films on IMDb after having an incredibly poor Cinema release. For a film to do so badly in the box office but to make a ridiculous amount of money through DVD sales is an incredibly rare occurrence but for David Fincher, it worked. One of the reasons for the success of the film is the acting, Fincher recasting Brad Pitt and Jared Leto after previous outings proved to be incredibly useful as they, along with Norton, (who is always fantastic) ensure that the film is exceptional throughout. I mean, even Meat Loaf performs well in this film and how absurd is that?

Fight Club is by no means just a ‘guys film’ which is what it is commonly referred to as being, it’s far more than that. It’s central purpose is to criticise the establishment of society, to poke holes in the way that political structure is formed and how easily that can be undermined by a handful of well prepared and knowledgeable anarchists. It’s not just about sweaty men fighting in basements, honest… And there is a lot of other content that separates it from other guys films, I mean, for the ladies there is a topless and very in shape Brad Pitt, who can argue with that? But in all seriousness, the ideas put through within the book and the film demonstrate just how weak society is, for instance, Brad Pitt’s business of taking human fat from liposuctions, turning it into soap and selling it back to those same rich people exemplifies the almost backward nature of American culture.

What I’m trying to say is that Fight Club works on several different levels, on the top, yes, it is a film about the nature of men; drinking and bonding over fights but underneath, it’s a complete parody of American culture and how if one domino were to fall, the whole system would crumble underneath the weight of its own failings.

I can honestly say that there isn’t anything that I don’t love about this film, the performances are solid, even from the supporting cast, the story is fantastic, the ending is brilliant and the best part is that it follows the book almost perfectly. Obviously it does cut out the occasional moment from the book but nothing important is removed. In my opinion this is Hollywood’s greatest ever adaptation, even better than the Departed.

10 Tumors named Marla Singer out of 10.