Now what I’m about to ask may get me a collective heavy handed pimp slap from the T-Community, but I don’t see what the big deal about fight club is. Now, before you lynch me, let me explain. Up until about the last year or so, you could have labeled me the Anti-Patricia. The number of movies I had seen in my life were so low, that I left friends dumbfounded at the number of “classic” movies I hadn’t seen. Upon discussions of Bullitt I couldn’t give any commentary other than some cool as dude named something Mcqueen was in it. Clint Eastwood? I had seen Dirty Harry and the guantlet (or maybe just one or the other twice), heck, with the exception of the kung fu films on saturday and the monster flicks on sunday that they give on the big apple channel five, I hadn’t even seen the whole star wars series until the week before episode one came out. So with this horrible disease, one of my friends set out to learn me some movies. So in the last year, with his help, HMV’s going out of business sale, and the few months I had HBO and Showtime, I saw a ton of flicks. So herein lies my problem with Fight Club. I watched it two months ago, and while I liked it very much, did not find it anymore of a jaw dropper twist than Usual Suspects or Sixth sense. For some reason I sort of suspected the twist and felt, with a few exceptions, that it got a bit cartoony towards the end. Now, I do not know if it’s because I had seen similar twists in such a short time or because I had heard someone say what the twist was so many months ago (and believe me, I really don’t have a good memory. I never remember all the previews that I just saw by the end of the movie). Again, I did like the movie very much, thought that the actors were great in their respective parts, but for some reason, it just fell a little short for me. Maybe I’m missing something.
Mmmm, Bullitt. Best damn movie. Mcqueen a total T-Man’s Man. And then some. On a side note: speaking of Clint Eastwood. Bronx you should read Roger Ebert’s latest “Great Movies” column, it’s about “Unforgiven”. I just read it and just had to sit back and smile - thinking how much I love movies. Especially the good one like, Unforgiven. The link: http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ greatmovies/sho-sunday-ebert21.html (eliminate the space at “/” and “great…”).
While I just absolutely love Edward Norton and believe he is a fantastic actor (and I'm also a Helena Bonham Carter fan,who was also fabulous here), the Fight Club just didn't do it for me. The first thing I said when we were leaving the theater after this movie: "seemed like it was written by a guy who had never fought in his life" The fight scenes were the hook of this movie and that's where it failed for me. Bareknuckle fighting like that would have broken hands, besides noses. I appreciate what David Fincher was trying to do. In the end, he failed. I feel The Game is one of his best, if not his best so far. Yes, even better than Seven.
Bronx: It seems like guys on this site have more of an infatuation with Pitt’s body (go figure!) than the movie…(I personally like cute little Justin Timberlake…I just don’t know WHAT he sees in those 'ho’s Janet and Brittney…!)
Thanks for the feedback. I did think the fight scenes were a little off, no real injuries except when he beat that blonde headed kid. I like Edward Norton too (American X is great), but he came off a little Office Spaceesque. And Unforgiven was such a great movie and that review just brought home some things I missed. I think I own most of Clint’s movies now, with the exceptions of Any which way but loose series (I did always turn it on in the middle of them) and White Hunter, Black Heart (probably THE greatest line ever in that film, just can’t find the DVD).
Most people really into Fight Club like the book better than the movie. It’s not just the movie but the underlying philosophy that hooks many people.
Fight Club didn’t do much for me either. Thought it was okay, but only okay. American History X was great, though.
BTW, what line are you talking about in WHBH? I just re-rented it a few weeks ago and loved it again.
Fight Club did nothing for me… the pranks were kinda funny to watch.
If you want a good movie with a twist, Check out the movie, The Others. With Nichole Kidman... I was shocked after seeing this that it wasn't a huge movie.
I’ll bet he’s talking about the dinner scene where Clint tells off the Anti-Semitic lady. Just a guess. 
Read the book.
Fight Club wasnt about fighting. If you werent aware of that you completely missed the point of the movie.
As far as the fight scenes looking like they were written by a guy thats never fought : NO SHIT. Name me a Hollywood or Hong Kong movie that has a realistic fight scene? Still scratching your head? Thought so. Actually, the only movie I’ve seen with realistic fight scenes is “Once were Warriors”[1995]
Anyways, I thought it was great!
If a movie could make you think about what you are doing with your life, even if its only for a brief moment, I think it deserves the ‘classic’ seal of approval.
I have to agree here that Fight Club had nothing to do with fighting. It was mostly summed up in Pitt’s single line at the bar (after Norton’s apartment fire):
“The things you own begin to own you”.
Watch it again, and this time ignore the fight scenes.
“Fight Club” is about fighting in the same way that “Braveheart” was about sword fights. See what you’re missing? Also, “Once Were Warriors” is a great movie (I live in Auckland, NZ).
I know Fight Club wasn’t about the fighting, that was just one of the things that was off to me. I did enjoy it, just it missed the mark for me.
And yes, Demo hit it right on the head. That is the best line, and doubley so after I realized that’s the line Norm MacDonald was using in a Clint/charlie Rose Skit on SNL. Actually, Clint has always been king of the one-liners, even more so than Arnold.
Some people just dont get it
who cares
Fight Club: some T-Folk get it, some do not. It’s not the end of the world.
I will say that if you’re looking for a movie with a killer twist at the end, don’t watch Fight Club, as previous posters mentioned. However if you are looking for a better way of living your life, and I’m not talking about emulating Ed Norton’s character, then this is the movie for you. It really is about being a T-Man. Look, you’ve got all of these men who feel really out of place in the world, who aren’t buying into the bullshit that they’re being fed. They feel somethings wrong with the world and they want to become something more than just a “consumer.” These guys find that at Fight Club, now granted that a T-Man woudln’t plot to overthrow civilization and breakdown law and order. But I believe that a T-man does want to make himself a better person, and the world a better place. Fight Club just takes that attitude to the Extreme to club people over the head instead of tapping them on the shoulder. It’s a great movie, but I can see how some people wouldn’t like it. Sorry for the long post, I was just on a roll.
Just want to reitorate what some people have already said – the movie is not about fighting. Second, the book was intensely brutal and very descriptive about the cumulative damage caused by the incessant bareknuckle fights. Third, the movie was heavily edited, it was originally much more brutal in its depiction of fight-related damage, but even in its original form couldn’t begin to depict the brutality of the film. And once again, the book and movie weren’t about fighting…unfortunately, the film was marketed towards dorks who just wanted to watch a brutal movie, then didn’t get enough financial exposure because the film actually required one to think, and in terms of its filmic quality, it had beautiful imagery and amazing recursivity which took incredible directorial skill…plus, there is a cup of starbuck’s coffee in every shot…
Personally, I think the movie is way better than the book. Look at it this way. We start with war. Then we develop football (or whatever) to prepare for war. Then football is too violent, so we develop video games of football. So now our kids play a simulation of a simulation of a real event. Fight Club is about people who are beginning to realize how reality has been hidden from them. It’s like The Truman Show, but with fights. Plus, every shot can be freeze framed and seen as art. Just my opinion…