Firsts things first...the book by Chuck Palahniuk on which the movie is based is much closer to the actual theme and idea the author wanted to portray. Read it even if you have seen the movie. Celluloid has a way of altering our perceptions or rather blurring it.
Though the name suggests that it might be about a bunch of guys forming a Club and who like to bash each other up...its not. Though there arises a school of thought that the movie is actually about a bunch of people revolting against the system who think of the common folk as unimportant...its not. What is the movie all about...in the words of Tyler Durden...This is your life...and its ending one minute at a time...and only after disaster can we be resurrected.
Plot
Complicated to say the least. There are a lot of undercurrent themes to the movie and its characters which seem invisible at first sight.
The Narrator...is going on with his life one minute at a time, doing a job that he hates...is also an insomniac...so he starts attending late night support group meetings dealing with terminally ill patients pretending to be one himself. He meets Marla Singer at one of these and recognises that she is a faker like himself. They dont like each other and thus plan their schedules so that they share the meetings and dont bump into each other. The Narrator needs to travel as a part of his job as a car recall agent. On one of these flights he meets Tyler Durden. The rest of the movie is about how Tyler convinces the Narrator that we need to create mayhem and chaos in this world and they go about it by creating a club for themselves and induce new members like them to join in as fighters initially then foot soldiers later. I am not revealing the plot in detail as that spoils the movie for the people who havent seen it and besides the plot cant be given proper justice with just 8000 characters.
Cast
Brad Pitt(Tyler Durden):
If there is one actor among the present generation who can play any role and make it his own, its Brad Pitt. The characters that he has played are so complex and acted out so realistically that you forget that its Brad Pitt and try to think of him as the character he plays not vice versa as it is generally is.
He excels as usual in the role of Tyler Durden as only Brad Pitt can. Though initially I thought that he was miscast, the first 6 minutes he was on screen totally got rid of all my doubts. Brilliant performance, he makes the character of Tyler Durden come alive.
Edward Norton(The Narrator):
One of the most under rated actor ever. The roles that he chooses are complex, multi layered and difficult to portray, but he comes on top with every one of them...this one is no exception.
The character of the Narrator could not have been better played by anyone else than Edward Norton. Deserved an oscar for it. But mainstream cinema never seems to acknowledge him.
Helena Bonham Carter(Marla Singer):
Though associated mostly with period dramas, the casting of this beautiful british actress to play Marla Singer was a risk taken by the casting crew and it came out with aplomb. Again as Norton she is also choosy with her roles, and grossly under rated as all british actresses are.
Though Marla Singer doesnt have much screen time, the time she is on screen she is very captivating.
Rest of the cast:
Good performances all around. The cameo by Meatloaf as Bob deserves special mention.
My take on the movie
I felt that the movie is not about revolution or going against the society, it is more about how mankind and his natural instinct to survive against all odds is slowly withering away. And that only after destruction and mayhem can there be growth of new ideas and progress. Even history seems to bear witness that after every major war mankind has come out stronger and more advanced. I am not saying that we need to actually need to go to war to change things around us, but the war or destruction or mayhem the author of the book speaks is about the self destruction of the present mindset of the people. We tend to follow blindly whatever our peers or for that matter advertising advises us to do, celebrities endorsing products they dont use and we buy them though we dont need them all the while forgetting that what we want is not need. Thats the point the movie and the book try so desperately to put through...that individualism is losing its voice among society and that people are forgetting to think on thier own and by destroying the mindsets that we have, new order will arise where people will be forced to think on their own and base their judgement on their own reasoning not the words of others(making this site and its purpose rather against the philosophy of the author ;-) ). I liked the movie also because it has also a hint of Objectivism-Ayn Rands philosophy embedded in it as portrayed in one of her novels Atlas Shrugged.It also has a similar themes to another movie I love A Clockwork Orange made way back in the 70’s in which violence and mayhem are used to affect the viewer in an alltogether unique way.
The Final Word
Read the book before you see the movie as it makes you better understand the underlying seemingly invisible undercurrents associated with the characters and the situations they face and how they react. The dialogues or rather the screenplay is simply mind blowing, makes you sit up and listen to what the characters actually mean.
If you are looking for some light entertainment with action scenes this is not the movie for you. If you want to watch a thought provoking yet seemingly complex movie...its a must watch....If you are using Lux because you think Karisma Kapoor uses it or are planing to buy a Yamaha Gladiator because John Abraham rides it.....well for you this movie is essential therapy.
Rating:
Plot: 9/10
Cast: 10/10
Acting: 9/10
Theme: 10/10
Screenplay: 9/10
Overall: 9.4/10