Fight ClubTechnical—5/5—Really well made. The editing was amazing. Brad Pitt puts in his best performance. Edward Norton is excellent. A lot of imagination went in here as well.
Interest—5/5—The main person that is responsible for my interest in this film is Chuck Palahniuk, the writer of the book, Fight Club. It is his ideas and narrative that drives this film and kept me on the edge of my seat. What would happen next? Even on my second watching, I am fascinated at how the plot is so interwoven. Of course, there’s a lot to see and experience as well. It is a feast for the mind.
Tension—5/5—With confusion comes tension. To create tension, one must create mystery. And this movie had a lot of mystery and the plot leading up to the final scene was just white knuckles the first time we watch it.
Emotional—3/5—Pretty weak on the emotional side. Anyone with an ounce of testosterone can feel the satisfaction of the fight club and Tyler’s lifestyle. But is there really any connection with people here?
Characters—5/5—Which is not to say that the characters weren’t well developed. They were perfect for what they were. There was so much detail to every main character that we totally bought them, even if their emotional side wasn’t really explored.
Theme—5/5—Responses to consumerist society. For more detail,
check out my article The Gospel According to Fight Club. Ethics—5/5—This film is like a really complex sermon that ends with a question. It begins by presenting the evils of consumerist society and then presenting a way out. But it doesn’t end there, like most sermons. Rather it draws out the idea of rejecting consumer society to it’s logical conclusion. Then we have to wonder, at what cost do we want change?
Personal—5/5—Fight Club really struck me. No, not literally. But it parallels some of the thinking I had in rejecting consumer society. Perhaps I didn’t go to the ultimate conclusion, but that’s because I’m not as warped as Chuck P.
I think Fight Club is one of the great post modern films, and it really resonated with me. So it’ll remain in my Top 100.