500. Fight Club (1999)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter

Director: David Fincher

Running Time: 139 mins

Fight Club is an American film about an insomniac, stuck in a dull, routined life, who encounters a daredevil soap salesman, and together they form an underground fight club, which escalates into enormous proportions.

I think this film can be summed up in two very simple words: MESSED UP. It is a bizarre and complex psychological thriller that twists and turns your brain at every second, and yet makes for hugely enjoyable viewing that keeps you glued to the screen for its entire run time.

I’ve got to start with this film’s unbelievably thrilling plot. Based on a 1996 novel, it has one of the most intelligent and complicated stories I’ve ever seen or heard of, that not only has a fantastic way of building up to an absolutely epic climax, with an unthinkable twist, but is constantly enthralling from the off.

Filled with not only an incredibly exciting story on the face of things, this film’s story is amazingly deep, and delves into countless themes that fascinate you as you watch gobsmacked at the stunning spectacle that is unfolding in front of your eyes.

The main character, played by Edward Norton, represents the average man, stuck in his normal life, longing for something to come along and completely change his world, representing all of us, making his character, although often seemingly despicable, consistently and easily relatable and likeable.

Then, the film’s anti-hero, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), presents one of the most intriguing and exciting movie characters of all time. This knows-no-boundaries adrenaline junkie is the exact opposite to Norton’s character, and it’s that that makes the two so perfectly compatible on screen.

The two characters are constantly fighting, arguing and annoying the hell out of each other, making their relationship hugely exciting to watch, however you can see that beneath the fiery surface of their conflict, there’s an undying bond between the two that you can never seem to put your finger on, and that steps up your interest tenfold.

That’s the main core of this film, its story and its main characters, but it’s also a technically stunning masterpiece that is one of the biggest cinematic revolutions of the last 20 years.

Taking grunge to a whole new level only at the end of the 90s, the cinematography in this film is so dark and disgusting that it adds so heavily to the overall atmosphere. As the story escalates, and the characters’ world begins a downward spiral, you can see visually how desperate their lives have become, and that is definitely something to be applauded.

Also, the visual effects in this are surprisingly incredible. With a story that takes place in a seemingly real world, no matter how messed up it is, you get a whole load of CGI that makes this all the more dazzling to look at, as well as making this film completely timeless; it could have been made last week and it would still be stunning to look at.

Overall, I’ll give this a 9.5, because it’s a stunningly thrilling, interesting, entertaining, well-made and written story that will surely go down as one of the best films ever made.