David Fincher’s Fight Club was wildly controversial when it first hit theaters in 1999. Some critics called it a masterpiece that captured the zeitgeist, other critics called it an abomination that glamorized violence, and Rosie O’Donnell hated it so much that she spoiled the ending on an episode of her daytime talk show.
Although it bombed at the box office on its initial release, Fight Club has since been re-evaluated as a cult classic. There are certain crucial elements of the movie that make it a timeless gem.
10 Edward Norton’s Voiceover Narration Is Endlessly Captivating
Voiceover narration is often criticized as a lazy storytelling technique. Writers tend to use it to explain the plot instead of conveying it visually. But in special cases, it works beautifully. In Fight Club, Edward Norton’s voiceover narration puts the audience in his disturbed mind.
Since it’s unclear how much of the movie is real and how much is taking place in the Narrator’s head, it’s captivating to hear his confused train of thought trying to make sense of everything.
9 The Twist Still Has The Ability To Shock
All these years later, the plot twist in Fight Club still has the ability to shock new viewers – provided it hasn’t been spoiled for them, of course. The Narrator’s baffling investigation into Tyler’s disappearance followed by Tyler’s rug-pulling monologue make this a truly surprising plot turn.
The notion that a character isn’t really there or they’re being mentally projected by another character has been replicated by a bunch of other psychological thrillers since Fight Club hit theaters, but it’s never been pulled off as effectively as Fincher’s movie.
8 The Story Moves At A Rapid Pace
Movies with slow pacing can be cerebral and thought-provoking, but they don’t necessarily hold the audience’s attention after a handful of viewings. Fast-paced movies, on the other hand, are timeless.
The story of Fight Club moves along at a rapid pace. The editing cuts all over the place, exploring different facets of the Narrator’s mind and explaining Project Mayhem’s city-wide anarchist operations.
7 Brad Pitt’s Turn As Tyler Durden Is Just As Hypnotic Today
The whole point of the Tyler Durden character is that he’s so suave and confident and charismatic that he’s able to lure a bored office worker into a life of violence. He talks the Narrator into helping him run an underground fight club and living in an abandoned soap factory, and convinces him that it’s all in the pursuit of a higher purpose.
Thanks to Brad Pitt’s effortless charms, Tyler is just as hypnotic on the screen as he was on the page. After all this time, it’s still one of Pitt’s finest performances.
6 David Fincher’s Stylized Direction Never Gets Old
David Fincher’s idiosyncratic filmmaking style is perhaps more prominent in Fight Club than in any of the director’s other work. The camera is constantly moving, and dark, gloomy, noir-ish compositions separate Tyler and the Narrator’s underground life from their civilian life aboveground.
There’s also plenty of Fincher’s signature use of CGI to create impossible shots like swooping around all the bombs planted in the skyscrapers of the financial district.
5 There’s Plenty Of Foreshadowing To Catch On Repeat Viewings
Most movies with a big plot twist only stand a single viewing, because they revolve around the twist reveal, and once the audience knows what that twist is, it can’t be as effective. The best ones, like Fight Club, subtly foreshadow the twist with little hints and details for the audience to pick up on repeat viewings.
The Narrator foreshadows the twist when he beats himself up in his boss’ office, when he climbs out of the driver’s side following the car crash, and when he sees Tyler for a split-second at the doctor’s office. It takes a few viewings to catch all these hints.
4 Viewers Can’t Be Desensitized To The Brutality Of The Fight Scenes
The violence in movies keeps getting more extreme. Every time audiences become desensitized to a certain level of blood and gore, Hollywood steps it up to shock them again.
But the brutality of Fight Club still holds up today. It’s impossible to become desensitized to hard-hitting scenes like Tyler laughing hysterically as the burly bar owner beats him to a pulp.
3 Helena Bonham Carter Gives Hilariously Dry Line Deliveries
While the cast of Fight Club is anchored by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt as the central duo of the Narrator and Tyler, Helena Bonham Carter gives an unforgettable turn as their shared love interest Marla Singer.
Carter brings brilliantly dry deliveries to hilariously inappropriate lines like, “A condom is the glass slipper of our generation,” and “I haven’t been f*cked like that since grade school.”
2 The Satire Of Capitalism Is More Relevant Than Ever
The incisive critique of banks and corporations in Fight Club was initially conceived as a satire of ‘90s corporate culture. But issues like greed, corruption, and the wealth gap haven’t just gone away in the two decades since Fight Club hit theaters – they’re more prevalent than ever.
Fight Club’s main point about capitalism is often missed by viewers. The anarchic ending suggests that these systems are in place for a reason and that, unfortunately, there isn’t an easy alternative that would work any better.
1 Norton And Pitt Share Electric On-Screen Chemistry
The key to the Narrator and Tyler Durden’s dynamic as two sides of the same coin was finding two actors with the palpable on-screen chemistry to pull it off. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt shared the electric chemistry required to bring the pair’s unique bond from the page to the screen.
Pitt’s confident charisma offers a sharp counterpoint to Norton’s understated awkwardness. The way they bounce off each other makes scenes like their bar conversation riveting.
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