THE SKINNY
A depressed loser becomes rejuvenated when he makes a new friend and they form an association where other discontented men fight one another.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Even Edward Norton can’t save this lame story. One small step above a do not rent rating.

THE FULL REVIEW
In Fight Club, Edward Norton plays Jack, a miserable, depressed, death-obsessed twenty-something insomniac who is able to sleep only after he visits various support groups, such as groups for cancer patients, men with testicular cancer and other gatherings for afflicted individuals. While Jack does not suffer from any of these illnesses, he pretends he does and religiously attends the meetings so he can experience an emotional release that will allow him to sleep.

While on an airplane for a business trip, Jack meets Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt. Durden preaches to Jack about how people waste their lives concerning themselves with material goods and with doing pointless things that they really don’t want or have to do. Durden’s drivel is reminiscent of that of Patrick Swayze’s character Bodhi in Point Break. (If only Fight Club had as much action as Point Break, my trip to Blockbuster would not have been in vain.)

When Jack returns home from the airport, he discovers that his apartment has mysteriously blown up. Despite the fact that he has just met him, Jack calls Durden for a place to stay and Durden agrees, with one condition: that the two engage in a fistfight. Jack reluctantly agrees and although he gets battered, he finds the experience mysteriously exhilarating. Durden and Jack agree to fight once a week and soon thereafter scores of other frustrated men join Durden and Jack’s fight club.

However things change when Jack discovers that Durden has transformed the club into a cult and recruited the members of the fight club to commit anti-establishment terrorist acts. Soon Jack’s best friend becomes his worst enemy as Jack tries to prevent the chaos and destruction that Durden is perpetuating through the members of the fight club.

Fight Club was a disappointment. The first forty minutes of the movie are excruciating to watch, as the writers took forty minutes to accomplish what could have been done in ten, and as a result the first half of the film is beyond boring. The movie does pick up some thereafter, but the script contains so many holes that it takes away from whatever quality action that does occur. The movie’s climatic scene, in which Jack and Durden’s true relationship is revealed, works and somewhat redeems what was otherwise a lousy flick.

In Fight Club Norton continued what has thus far been an outstanding career. Norton displayed versatility through his portrayal of the complicated Jack and was able to narrate a great deal of the story without it being a distraction. On the other hand, Brad Pitt should thank his lucky stars for genetics, as he is the worst action actor in Hollywood this side of Keanu Reeves. Helena Bonham Carter is cast in a supporting role as Marla, who follows Jack to the support meetings and then ends up having a bizarre affair with Durden, and she is effective in playing her troubled character. Finally, Meatloaf appears as a testicular cancer survivor who joins the fight club, but the Loaf should not quit his day job (come to think of it, maybe he should).

By: Scott Shuster