“No Tyler, you’re thinking of vampires.” A Fight Club Review

What do: insomnia, fist fights and soap-manufacturing have in common? They all come together harmoniously in director David Fincher’s movie adaptation of the best-selling novel ‘Fight Club’, written by Chuck Palahniuk. Palahniuk published the book in August of 1996, and it only took three short years for the movie version to be released in October of 1999. Both the movie and the book are constructed in a way that people who enjoy “Big picture” questions, and those who love action, comedy and adventure, can fall for instantly.

The plot focuses around a gloomy man (played by Edward Norton) who suffers from insomnia. I understand that may not be the most exciting introduction to a plot you’ve ever heard, but the way it’s portrayed makes it captivating. The depressed man is also the narrator of the story, and throughout the movie and novel we get a feeling that we’re really there experiencing these things with our narrator, as a result of excellent writing and filming. We get a real sense of this in the opening pages of the novel and first scene of the movie. Our narrator seems to be speaking to us, but it doesn’t feel like the cheesy yet hilarious fourth-wall breaks such as the ones in the movie ‘Deadpool’.

As the narrator struggles to not only sleep, but to also feel fulfilled in life, he meets a savvy and enigmatic man named Tyler Durden (played by Brad Pitt), who makes and sells his own soap. Our narrator immediately takes an interest in Tyler, and how could he not? Tyler’s character is beautifully crafted and represented in such a way that makes him intriguing, and leaves you in deep thought. Tyler’s personality coincides with our narrator’s aspirations, so naturally they gravitate toward each other. During the book and novel, the two characters often have discussions that won’t just make you laugh, but really make you think about purpose and life itself.

The movie scenes are generally in a pretty dim-lit or dark setting to begin the movie, representative of our narrator’s somber and sullen state. As the movie progresses, we start to see changes in our narrator’s mood, and in the scenes as well, showing us how through Tyler Durden, our narrator begins to feel better about himself and the world around him.

The movie takes a turn when our narrator’s apartment is destroyed; a gas leak that blew a large chunk out of his apartment building. Since our narrator no longer has a home, he moved in with his pal Tyler, in an old and quaint house on Paper Street. However this is where the movie and the book get really good…

The narrator and Tyler find themselves out behind the back of a bar one night, feeling like there should be more to life than there is. This is when the first Fight Club meeting takes place. Tyler and our narrator fight full-on with each other, attempting to get their frustrations out and allow them to feel more alive. Shortly after that, groups of men follow the narrator and Tyler like religious leaders and fight in the basement of bars every week.

The movie and the book both are true works of art. They allow for so much interpretation and meaning, and truly are in my opinion one of the best books/movies I’ve ever experienced.

I challenge you to read and watch ‘Fight Club’ because you won’t only enjoy them from a storytelling and cinematic perspective, you will also learn a lot about yourself as well.

I must warn you to take caution when doing so, because I’ve already broken the first rule of Fight Club…

Don’t talk about Fight Club…

Written by Jack Fowler