The book is really about style, mood and tone, rather than plot, story and resolution - which I think are three elements which films can't always do without. What does make Fight Club a good film, rather than an average one, is the casting - which is exceptional, perhaps the best I've seen. Brad Pitt is Tyler Durden, Ed Norton is the narrator, Helena Bonham Carter is Marla Singer and Meatloaf is Robert Poulson. These actors really inhabit the roles and capture the zeitgeist of the characters.

 

The other thing that saves Fight Club from mediocrity is, unsurprisingly, Fincher's direction. It's all very pop culture, post modern, breaking the fourth wall, that kind of thing. This approach could have become really annoying, but it wasn't. Fincher is definitely one of the few great American directors of this era, in my opinion (behind Gus Van Sant and perhaps, Michael Mann). Final thoughts, there was really no way to translate the ending from the book onto film, that's why the ending of the film sucked, but it was entirely unavoidable. I'm sure plenty of people loved the ending, just didn't work for me. Also, I wonder if they trying to be ironic by having a tonne of product placement in a movie based on a book that is so blatantly against consumer capitalism.

 

 

Anyway, what are you thoughts on the movie version of Fight Club, did you like it, are you a fan?