Year of 100 Films: 2 Fight Club

This 1999 David Fincher film had a hell of a cast including Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meatloaf, Holt McCallany, Zach Grenier and Jared Leto

Plot: As you can imagine, due to the first and seconds rules, I can’t talk about it.

Notes: As this film nears 25 years old, I look at it differently. Since it came out, I’ve had a job for a long time, got married, become a father and had one or two nervous breakdowns. But this film does still strike a chord. It’s very style over substance and it’s an excellent use of the actors it has and is an interesting look at identity, meaning and the psychology of cult behaviour. Very few characters get full names, or looks into their inner lives to show how isolated some people feel. Fight Club feels like something inevitable as a reaction to the existential crisis. “We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives.”

It was a call to some kind of action, a needed one. The film does point out that if we don’t choose for ourselves, someone will choose for us. If we don’t question, we’ll find ourselves unable to ask questions. In the end, the film doesn’t offer any answers, nor have an easy resolution. What happens to the narrator? How does the actions of Project Mayhem affect the city? How far does it all extend. I don’t know if it’s good because it’s good, or if it’s good because when I first saw it, I needed it. I enjoyed seeing it again, especially after remembering the twist. It did lead me to pick the last film though and I’m glad of that. 8/10