A cup of toxic masculinity today? A side of questionable mental health and an unreliable narrator? How about a slice of did she really exist? Also a possible stand in for other metaphorical equivalents, the film Fight Club (1999) is the subject of today’s review. This review includes spoilers; know that I recommend you watch the film. Continue reading now or come back after watching the film.
(From left, Edward Norton as Narrator Jack and Meat Loaf as Robert Paulson in the 1999 film Fight Club).
Edward Norton stars as the unreliable narrator who we in the audience come to know as Jack through the course of the film Fight Club, which is based on the 1996 book Fight Club: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk. We’re introduced to the notion that our noble narrator might have some emotional struggles early on as he moves from support group to support group, regardless of having the underlying issue at the core of each group. It is in this environment where Jack meets Bob Paulson, later Robert Paulson and portrayed by Meatloaf. It’s also in this environment that we meet Marla Singer as portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter.
(From left, Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer and Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in the film Fight Club).
It is in the relationships with Paulson and Singer that we begin to get a notion for discreet disconnects in the personality of Jack. The nature of the disconnects become much to obvious to ignore when we meet the character Tyler Durden as portrayed by Brad Pitt. If you’ve never watched Fight Club, or you are up for another viewing, offer special notice of the relationship Jack has with Singer and Durden in particular. Notice also the ancillary details offered in these performances, as the story really excels at the subtle offering of clues along the way.
(Zach Grenier as Richard Chesler in the film Fight Club).
Richard Chester, as portrayed by Zach Grenier, is Jack’s boss for an automobile company. Chester witnesses the truth of Jack’s character, as revealed fully to the audience, perhaps first among the many characters in the movie. The storytelling means of revealing this information is expertly accomplished because the dialogue and action explains exactly how the world experiences Jack. Chester’s response in the face of what is unwell in Jack stands in well for the audience in addition to being the critique of the culture underpinning the actions of Tyler and Jack.
(From left, Brad Pitt and Fight Club director David Fincher at a promotional event for Fight Club).
David Fincher directed Fight Club, bringing the dark edge to the full expression of the film that has been something of a signature of his films. In offering an additional twist not explicitly spelled out by the film, yet suggested explicitly and interestingly by That Film Theory, is it possible that the big reveal we get at the end of the film regarding Tyler Durden and Jack aren’t the only dramatic plot twists? Is it possible that Marla Singer also exists only in the mind of Edward Norton‘s character? The video included with the link to That Film Theory offers an interesting take with observations from the film. Even the closing dress of Jack and Marla to close the film leaves this possibility open.
(From left, Edward Norton as Narrator Jack and Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer in the film Fight Club).
The film Fight Club offers much for the careful film viewer looking to be entertained. The subject matter is not for everyone, for sure. If this film might be your style, you will be rewarded with the viewing. I rate Fight Club at 4.5-stars on a scale of one-to-five.
Matt – Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Matt Lynn Digital 