Movie Minx

Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham-Carter
Directed by: David Fincher

Plot: An office employee and a soap salesman build a global organization to help vent male aggression.

But is it any good?

Oh, how I love David Fincher movies, and how I loved Fight Club in the late ’90s. The timing was perfect. There was no 9/11 to make the final scene cringe-worthy; there was much pre-millenial angst about future and identity that was prefectly reflected in the plot; there was a brilliant twist before twists started being overdone to tedious predictability.

But that time is no longer, and I fear that despite its brilliance, Fight Club has already dated and is revered more as a kind of well-crafted time capsule. I have little sympathy for Edward Norton’s nameless, whiny narrator now. His quirky little underground groups now have a much more sinister edge than just an outlet for male angst.

I will say in its defence that the film’s violence is not gratuitous, that the acting is top-class, the cinematography is stylish and smart, the dialogue is snappy and the plot clever. But admit it: Fight Club is heading in the direction of stonewash demin - clever at the time, more than a little embarrassing now.

IMDb’s rating: 8.6/10
My rating: 7.5/10

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