Fight Club (1999)

An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soapmaker form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.

Director:

David Fincher

Writers:

Chuck Palahniuk (novel), Jim Uhls (screenplay)

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf

Top Rated Movies #11 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Norton	...	The Narrator
Brad Pitt	...	Tyler Durden
Meat Loaf	...	Robert 'Bob' Paulsen (as Meat Loaf Aday)
Zach Grenier	...	Richard Chesler
Richmond Arquette	...	Intern
David Andrews	...	Thomas
George Maguire	...	Group Leader
Eugenie Bondurant	...	Weeping Woman
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Marla Singer
Christina Cabot	...	Group Leader
Sydney 'Big Dawg' Colston	...	Speaker
Rachel Singer	...	Chloe
Christie Cronenweth	...	Airline Attendant
Tim DeZarn	...	Inspector Bird (as Tim de Zarn)
Ezra Buzzington	...	Inspector Dent

Storyline

A nameless first person narrator (Edward Norton) attends support groups in attempt to subdue his emotional state and relieve his insomniac state. When he meets Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), another fake attendee of support groups, his life seems to become a little more bearable. However when he associates himself with Tyler (Brad Pitt) he is dragged into an underground fight club and soap making scheme. Together the two men spiral out of control and engage in competitive rivalry for love and power. When the narrator is exposed to the hidden agenda of Tyler's fight club, he must accept the awful truth that Tyler may not be who he says he is.

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Plot Keywords:

fighting | anti establishment | multiple personality disorder | insomnia | anti conformity | 

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Taglines:

Don't Ever Talk About It. Experience It on Blu-ray! (10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray release)

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing and graphic depiction of violent anti-social behavior, sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2008, the film was named the 10th greatest movie of all time by Empire magazine in its issue of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie when the buildings detonate, the city block, or more so a localized city, would have caused the plate glass where the characters were standing on the floor of the adjacent building, to rumble or even crack or shatter, followed by a massive churning wall of dust to slam against the windows.

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Quotes

Marla Singer: I got this dress at a thrift store for one dollar.
Narrator: It was worth every penny.
Marla Singer: It's a bridesmaid's dress. Someone loved it intensely for one day, and then tossed it. Like a Christmas tree. So special. Then, bam, it's on the side of the road.
[Grabs Narrator's crotch]
Marla Singer: Tinsel still clinging to it. Like a sex crime victim. Underwear inside out. Bound with electrical tape.
Narrator: Well, then it suits you.
Marla Singer: You can borrow it sometime.

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Crazy Credits

Just as the closing credits are about to start, a flash-frame-shot of a penis appears on the screen.

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Alternate Versions

In the Japanese version of the movie, due to censorship rules over showing genitalia, there are no penis shots in the whole movie.

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Connections

Featured in 20 to 1: Sexiest People (2006)

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Soundtracks

KDFW News Theme
Composed by Stephen Arnold

User Reviews

Superb

Superb, and truly one of the greatest movies of all time.

It starts with the screenplay. Adapted from, and very faithful to, an excellent book. The book by Chuck Palahniuk was perfect for a movie: vivid, powerful, challenging, original, unpredictable. Considering how perfectly formed the book already was, the screenplay would have been a doddle.

Some very interesting themes are explored - consumerism, class warfare, multiple-personality disorder, male bonding, terrorism and anarchy - without being judgemental.

Direction is spot-on. Perfect cinematography, pacing and editing. The twists and nuances of the book are captured perfectly.

Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are perfectly cast as the two lead characters, and deliver in spades. Helena Bonham Carter is a strange selection to take on the role of Marla, as she tends to act in Shakespearean dramas and other period pieces. However, despite this, her performance is very convincing.

An absolute classic.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fight Club

Filming Locations:

421 W. Eighth Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$63,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,035,485, 17 October 1999

Gross USA:

$37,030,102

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$101,219,059

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, New Regency Productions, Linson Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min 151 min (workprint)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1