Fight Club

Staring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf

Review by The Ranting WolfCastle

    I had it!  I was with this movie.  I knew what it was about, I knew where it was going, until, well that point.  The one crucial point where everything changes.  Yes, it's one of those movies.  What do they call it, a "psychological thriller?"  Whatever that means.

    Fight Club stars Edward Norton (American History X, Rounders) and Brad Pitt (A River Runs Through It, other pretty boy films).  Norton is an insomniac.  Pitt is a maniac.  They meet and decide to beat the hell out of each other, for therapeutic practices only.  Guess what?  It's a "hit" with other men, and Fight Club is born.  It goes on from there, I don't want to spoil anything for you.

    The first rule of Fight Club is don't see Fight Club.  The second rule of Fight Club, is wait until Fight Club is on video to see Fight Club.  Actually I've heard you either love this movie or hate it.  I guess, upon reviewing my thoughts, I hated it.

    First of all, Edward Norton is one of my favorite actors, Brad Pitt is not, but after this film along with his performance in Meet Joe Black, I'm beginning to come around a bit.  Also, did you know that Norton was offered the title role in Saving Private Ryan?  It's true.  He turned it down.  Anyway, Edward Norton didn't really impress me that much in this film.  He had moments, but overall he was monotone and boring.  Sorry Eddy, but come on, where is it written that a tired man can't have emotions?  It hurts but it's the truth.  I think Pitt did a good job.  He was a psycho, and he played a psycho well.  

    The supporting actors were good.  Helena Bonham Carter played the love interest.  She's been in a ton of other movies but nothing worth mentioning.  She was good.  She was strung out.  And she was a slut.  Alright.  The rest of the cast pretty much played the same roll however.  Meatloaf is in this film, and he did a good job.  He was funny, and had enormous women breasts.  What more can an audience ask for?

      On to directing.  Fight Club was directed by David Fincher, the same guy that did Alien 3, and Se7en.  Or, a nut case in so many words.  I think he did a good job.  The intro is cool, and he does some neat camera tricks every once in a while, but I don't think he sold "the trick."  Once again, I don't want to tell you about it, because then you'd get upset that I ruined it for you, and demand my head.

    I think the main problem with this film is the writing.  Written for the screen by Jim Uhls, it was based on a book under the same name.  I didn't read the book by Chuck Palahniuk, but I sincerely hope that the old adage proves truthful once again, and the book is better than the movie.  The movie just has so many holes.  There are scenes you look back on, once the film is through, that are confusing.  They don't seem like it when you're watching them, but they are later.  

    I think mainly Fight Club tries so hard to be great, but falls short.  I think Uhls wanted it to be mind boggling, but it ended up confusing.  I think some scenes should have been worked out to help prove the big "trick."  I think maybe Brad Pitt might not be the pretty boy I always took him for.  I think Edward Norton is an incredible actor.  I think there have to be good actors and a good script to pull off a movie like this one.  I think now I'm just rambling.

    Overall I could have liked this movie, had it stayed with its original course of being a movie about some guys fighting.  But alas, it did not.  It didn't even have as much fighting as you'd think from a movie with "fight" in the title.  There's a new trend in Hollywood, people.  When it succeeds it soars higher than all, (The Sixth Sense) but when it fails, it falls, and falls hard.