FIGHT CLUB

‘’The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.’’ 22 years since that ominous line has been pronounced and yet it still stands the test of time. The movie, which is also known as F*** C*** ( yes, this was done on purpose to amplify the tone of the movie. And no, I cannot use the plethora of swear words that could replace the asterixs. Let your creativity fly) It is an understatement to say that Fight Club stands amongst the greats of cinema- it is a masterful creation , superbly crafted by , in my humble opinion, one of the best directors in the business, David Fincher. However, there’s a question that I must answer first, even though I’m breaking the first aforementioned rule; what is Fight Club?

PLOT

The plot, of course, is the most important aspect of any movies. It’s what keeps people riveted to their seats till the end of the movie, either in complete confusion or in complete awe of what is happening in front of you. For all you bookworms out there, Fight Club is originally a book, written by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club focuses on, the main protagonist, played by Edward Norton. The latter lives an unfulfilling life, in an IKEA-filled apartment, who suffers from insomnia and who enjoys going to support groups from men suffering from testicular cancer. His life is completely changed when he meets Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, a soap-maker, who opens his eyes to the cruelty of life and what it really means. The pair, who are shown in the picture above(If you come back to this article after watching the movie it makes a lot more sense, believe me) open up an illegal Fight Club to suffice the pleasures of men living boring, mundane lives. However, Fight Club is more than that. It is and remains to this day a self-introspection in what makes us human beings, alive, particularly us men. It is jump deep down into the most violent and disgusting parts of manhood and it does so unapologetically- what actually holds our lives together that makes it worth living and enjoying? It tears down every ‘lords’ that we worship and spit on them, rightly so.

This quote by Tyler in the movie summarizes this very, very well: “We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.”

CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SCREENPLAY

As you may have already noticed, I have been using blue to type. Well, this was done on purpose. David Fincher, along with cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, use a heavy tone of dark blue colours during the film, that parallels and makes a good contrast to the white shirts and vests that Norton wears throughout the movie. The overtone of sickly, yellowish and brown colours also brings a certain uneasiness when watching it to the eyes. It seems as if Fincher is trying to tell us something that is right in front of us but that we are not able to decipher. The world of Fight Club is after all, a very drab one. There is rarely any source of very bright light, no light and colourful palettes to bring the film to life. It cannot be compared to the purple and light blue that dominated La La Land, or the very prominent green in Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Fight Club is an inspection in the human psyche, one that should not be missed and therefore such a gruelling task meets an outlandish, ethereal scheme.

One of the most important part of the screenplay is the voice-over of the main protagonist during the whole movie. It is a constant reminder that the human mind that we are currently assessing and trying to comprehend is his, as complicated as it may be. The dialogue is not snappy or in quick-fire. Most times, it takes its time, slowly but surely, building its tension and suspense till the climax of a specific scene is reached. Then, hell is let loose.

Characters

The characters and acting are by far the most important and fascinating part. The main protagonist along with Tyler Durden, by being completely different to what we have previously seen in any another movies. Tyler is relentless in his authority and in his didactic way of living that he tries to imprint on anyone and everyone. The acting done by Brad Pitt, at the peak of his abilities and of his career in the movie, gives a performance that cannot be forgotten. His demeanour, clothes and his constant jibes make him one of the most interesting characters to be portrayed on screen to this day. Edward Norton also provides a fantastic outlook on the life of a man who has nothing and everything at the same time, someone who has to lose everything to start truly questioning what is happening around him and to him as he enters this partnership with Tyler. Helena Bonham Carter plays Marla in the movie, the passive love interest of Norton in the movie. Her sombre outlook, drugged-out smile along with her incompetence to wear makeup properly is- I’ll let yourself decide what you think about Marla after you watch the movie.

CONCLUSION

Fight Club remains and will remain as one of the most influential piece of cinema ever created, whilst being among the best works of Fincher, it is also psychological dilemma for the viewer as they enter that dark spot in the mind of the characters, but also theirs, to try and understand everything about life. You may ask yourself, ‘’Where is my mind?’’

-MYANDEE RYAN