Fight Club

7 / 10

Filled to the brim with style, David Fincher’s noir psycho thriller channels the spirit of the disastrous Woodstock ‘99 – which happened just three months earlier – and takes it a step further by presenting an escalation of the inner mind due to a seemingly non-existent sleep cycle within three stages: A break from the everyday office through the exploration of multi-faceted pain, a formation of an underground catalyst for the consumerist-led world and a destabilization of the system with the help of an evolving cult. Although Fight Club cannot flex with its surprises, the mental downward spiral is disturbing to watch considering the terrific performances from Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.

Over the course of the story, an increasing aversion against Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) becomes clear as soon as his underground fight club mutates into a night shift demolition project. But Durden's striking presence grants two exceptional moments, when advertising techniques are reflected onto the upper-class society with his own soap: “We were selling rich women their own fat asses back to them”, and his dangerous, martial speech about the delusional American Dream aimed at younger generations which are not shaped by war or economic crises, but rather by the heavy (and still relevant) promotion of accessories and utopic professions.

Pain is the core engine of Fight Club, which Durden establishes as a replacement for the aforementioned life-shaping events. While the inner mind deteriorates due to sleep deprivation, it soon transcends into other areas of life, connects with like-minded, frustrated men as a wake-up call and breaches into the public with the destruction of expensive goods and facilities. Pain shapes, pain unites and pain speaks – a scary portrayal of male-driven unrest painted with extraordinary, physical violence during the underground sequences and over-the-top scenarios in the office or the headquarter of Durden’s cult.

Fincher's stylistic approach though is harmed by its rivaling components. While the dark set pieces work well with the excellent trip-hop, rock-infused soundtrack, making nods to Massive Attack and Portishead, Norton’s excessive narration of the situations gets lost in the psychic descent. Still, this type of mental trip – reminiscent of Hans Weingartner’s The White Sound and especially Todd Phillips’ Joker – might lead to interesting observations during a second watch if you put the overarching, contorted coolness aside.

Review published on 15th August 2022.