Blu-ray Review
Fight Club
Directed by: David Fincher Cast: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Meat Loaf, Helena Bonham Carter, Jared Leto Running Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Rating: R Due Out: November 17, 2009
PLOT: An insomniac thirty something (Norton) with no purposeful existence meets an anarchist (Pitt). Together they start a “fight club,” which evolves into an underground society that offers men more happiness than the possessions that have ruled their lives.
WHO'S IT FOR? By appearance, Fight Club is a guy’s movie, a bonanza of machoness that has dudes beating each other in order to achieve catharsis. However, the mind of Fight Club extends far beyond the action movie genre, and is presented with an aesthetic brilliance that is worth a viewing itself.
MOVIE:
In honor of the tenth anniversary release of the amazing Fight Club, I am adding a few things to the organization's list of rules, as things have changed since Tyler Durden and The Narrator first started punching each other in a parking lot. The actual club in this movie has its own rules, but the movie itself deserves regulations also.
Number One: You should talk about Fight Club. There have been various philosophy books written about this one film, stemming off from the many social commentaries that this movie makes about what purpose people give to their lives. Fight Club should be shared with anyone willing to watch it, and its ideas seem close to boundless, if not timeless. It's deep stuff, dude.
Number Two: You Don’t Talk About Fight Club’s Ending. It’s that simple. Even though it's been ten years, try not to slip the great twist. Yes, the movie is still mindblowing (literally) with knowledge of the film’s secret, but the surprise makes the impact of Fight Club especially more powerful. Just don't do it.
That's it. Everyone here is at their top notch, especially director David Fincher. Edward Norton's performance still has not been topped, and Brad Pitt once again navigates his cool-factor into something much more significant. Chuck Palahniuk's book is enhanced by a dedicated vision from Fincher which stands as one of the most successful book-to-film adaptations of the 1990's, if not one of the best films overall from the decade.
MOVIE SCORE: 9/10
EXTRAS
Flogging Fight Club - This ten minute documentary shows Fincher, Norton, and Pitt preparing and presenting a speech for Fight Club’s special recognition at some dude award show on Spike TV. During their speech they lash out at the critics’ remarks from ten years ago that helped make the film a cult hit. Throughout they admit that their appearance on the show is a shameless plug of their shameless upcoming Blu-ray re-release. This is the only fresh footage we get of this triumphant trio, but Brad Pitt does call Mel Gibson “sugart*ts.”
A Hit In The Ear: Ren Kylce and the Sound Design of Fight Club - The only new glimpse of behind the scenes work comes from a discussion with Fincher’s go-to sound designer, Klyce. He discusses some of audio techniques used in the movie, including an interesting take on audio expressionism. Then, the feature lets you interact with the mixing of four different scenes. I can’t imagine this extra would appeal to many.
OTHER EXTRAS:
Insomniac Mode: I Am Jack's Search Index, Commentary Log, and Topic Search Behind the Scenes Vignettes Edward Norton Interview Commentary by David Fincher Commentary by David Fincher, Pitt, Norton, and Carter Commentary by Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls Commentary by Alex McDowell, Jeff Cronenweth, Michael Kaplan and Kevin Haug Deleted and Alternate Scenes Trailers, TV Spots, and Internet Spots Public Service Announcements Music Video Promo Gallery Art Gallery
EXTRAS SCORE: 7/10
OVERALL
Only sad irony can explain why a movie so anti-establishment is getting a re-release on Blu-ray only two years after a previous version was pushed out. Granted, it’s about time that a film as famous as Fight Club should reach Blu-ray, but the amount of new extras make this disc a tad disappointing. There are only three new extras on this version, two of them described above. There’s a truckload of other extras on this disc, certainly, but those who love this movie probably already possess the good special features on one of their earlier DVD versions. But if you're missing your household copy of Fight Club, this isn't a bad investment.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10