Fight Club
In a nutshell: Edward Norton plays an unnamed man who hates his
boring office job and lives in a catalogue/TV obsessed syndrome. By chance, he
meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt); a charismatic, charming soap salesman! A
friendship forms where the two vent their hatred and anger about society and
everything else, then in further frustration, beat each other up. This type of
outburst seems to appeal to other men with repressed feelings and built-up
anger, so they form a club… a “fight club". What starts as just an outlet
to let off some steam, quickly turns into a social movement that gets way out
of control.
What was different/original about
it? Fight Club
takes the topic of today’s youth being over-marketed to and sold phony dreams
by corporate media, and what happens when those who are sold this hype have had
enough of not getting what they’ve been promised. Controversial, violent,
ironic, rebellious. Fight club was a film more advanced and intelligent than
what it was marketed to be hence, it wasn’t a commercial or critical hit at its
release. But as is usually the way with cult films, they garner their following
and respect long after they were first shown. And like some other films of the
year, contains a terrific secret that no one saw coming the first time they
watched it.
How did it change movies? Fight Club didn’t change movies as much as some
other films of 1999, but it was considered one of the first to really bite that
hand that fed it. Being a film, Fight Club was a product of the media and in
itself, a tool used to sell dreams, and portray the hopes and aspirations of
society. The allure is that the film’s characters hate the media and it’s
tactics of brainwashing through advertising, and in particular, those who
create their power and wealth of the rest off us. It starred big named actors,
portraying normal people with major flaws and problems who finally take at a
stand against the marketing machine and destroy the very foundation at it’s
core. Fight Club told a story about an attack on the world from which the film
comes from, thus shooting itself in the foot and leaving the audience with a
sense of shady hope and insecurities. At the end, you’re not sure whether to
cheer or be worried, due to the fact that certain characters and their actions
weren’t all they appeared to be. Fight Club is a multi-layered, complex and
dense film that deserves repeat viewings, and will continue to be relevant for
many years to come.
Next up,..."American Pie"
or
Next up,..."American Pie"
or
No comments:
Post a Comment