#10 Fight Club

In Summary

The film whose poster adorned the wall of 75% of every male university student between the years 1999 and 2004.

The film with a twist ending that is, quite literally, unbelievable.

The film in this top 100 list featuring the most soap.

It's Fight Club.

A story about modern society and what it does to men. Fight Club starts with our narrator trapped in a cycle of working, shopping and unable to sleep, desperately searching for some meaning in his life.

Enter Tyler Durden.

Handsome, confident and with an answer to every question, Tyler Durden is the man every man between the ages of 18 and 24 would want to be.

Durden's introduction coincides with our narrator's life turning upside down. His apartment destroyed in a fire, he finds himself living with Durden in his squat. With nothing to his name, our narrator at least discovers some meaning to his life - the visceral impact of a knuckle on his cheekbone.

There is no manlier act than fighting. Our narrator discovers that the void in his life had been down to a deficit of masculinity. Activating that missing part of himself not only provides him that missing meaning in his life but that this is a seemingly universal absence in mens' lives.

Thus our narrator and Tyler Durden found 'Fight Club'.

However, there is a darker side to activating masculinity. The power bestowed to Durden leads to a megalomania. It is a small step to take from being willing to commit violence between a select group of people to being willing to commit violence against society as a whole.

It is left to our narrator to stop Durden.

A Memorable Quote

The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.

Things You May Not Know

• Chuck Palahniuk, author of the original novel, has stated that the film is an improvement on his book.
• Bob wears a shirt during his fighting scenes - despite this being against on of the rules of Fight Club - this was to conceal the fat suit that Meat Loaf had to wear for the role.
• Russell Crowe was the initial choice for the role of Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt. Matt Damon and Sean Penn were considered for the role of the narrator, played by Edward Norton.

One of the Greatest of All Time?
Without getting into spoiler territory, the most compelling thing about Fight Club is its twist ending. While a re-watch will uncover pointers to this twist, it doesn't hold up to logical scrutiny.

Nonetheless, there is a sharp satirical edge to this film. About both the lifestyle of consumption that many of us lead, and of masculinity in crisis.

While much of the film is devoted to how modern society dampens masculinity, what is great - and still so relevant - about Fight Club is that it shows how positive masculinity can descend into toxicity if allowed to fester.

Like Inception, Fight Club may not be quite as intelligent as it thinks it is but it is a film that remains incredibly relevant to this day.