Fight Club - Suspense Film Review

For my second movie review on a suspense film, I decided to write a review on Fight Club. Fight Club is a 1999 suspense film starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton (think the bad guy in The Italian Job). Brad Pitt plays an intriguing character who makes soap as well as various odd jobs on the side. Norton is an everyday man who is tired with his white collar job and also suffers from insomnia. The two end up meeting on an airplane and start a fight club, where the club gains underground street cred and more people show up, fighting each other as a form of release. Helena Bonham Carter plays the female role in the film, an eccentric woman who shows up at the same "help groups" Norton does to help with his insomnia.

My rating system is based upon 10 stars, and I will judge based on the plot, the acting, the lead female character, and how much I enjoyed the movie overall.

Plot - 9 stars. You're thinking, this is high for just some fighting movie, right? Wrong! The plot is like nothing i've ever seen before. Norton ends up moving in with Pitt after his apartment blows up into Pitt's run-down shack with chipped paint, no furniture, and running water that is brown. Norton ends up going to various support groups through his doctor's advice, and it actually helps him sleep at night. Plus, there's a superb twist at the end that explains quite a bit about who Norton really is and the reason for his insomnia.

Acting - 9 staras. Hands down, the acting was excellent. Brad Pitt actually got his own teeth chipped to have imperfect teeth for the film. Pitt is a great actor period and plays a great co-star with Norton, who is a typical, white collar man who is also amazed by Pitt's character.

Lead Female Character - 8 stars. At first I was disappointed with Helena Carter, simply because they have her with dark make-up, a frizzy hairdo, and generally looking like someone addicted to drugs (which she is.) However, as the movie progresses we see the connection between Norton and Carter grow deeper, and the audience becomes more engrossed with her character. She does a great job acting nonchalant and apathetic with undertones of actual caring and affection. She is also cute in real life, which helps.






Overall - 9 stars. This rather macho film does exactly what it calls for, give guys a great movie filled with action. It's not all action, though. The twist at the end is unforseen, yet does a great job explaining nearly everything and has you feeling better about the film overall. The plot is superb, the acting is great, and the lead female character actually keeps up with the film as well. Overall a solid film that is a must see.