Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.

Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto, Holt McCallany, Zach Grenier, Eion Bailey, Peter Iacangelo, Thom Gossom Jr., Christina Cabot

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your f***ing khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world."– Tyler Durden

Why watch this? Let this be a lesson to prove that violence leads to death and ruin.

Plot Summary: An unfulfilled, dull office worker finds a form of fulfillment from attending survivor support groups, though he has experienced no trauma. Then he meets a man who lives life on the edge, Tyler Durden. Durden spits in the eye of America's system of corporate greed and male suppression. Together they start a club for men to beat the shit out of each other, you know, turn the beast loose. The group grows, as does its violence. Plans are made to hit back, including destroying property and bombing buildings. Where can all this be heading...?

Dad's Preview: Much has been said about Fight Club. Some is critical, yet most gushes praise. It's complex, raw, bold, allegorical, and touches on an amalgam of genres. It has a very unexpected ending. Start of finish, it is a mind game. So why, as I write this review, do I hate it? Because the film makes me look at the mirror's reflection of me, and the larger us. Do we humans really have a chance? Are we really ever going to elevate ourselves above the horrible things we do to each other? I fear the answer is "No" and I hate that fact. In an attempt to become free from society's trappings, Tyler becomes what he hates and worse - a Frankenstein of anarchy. That is inescapable hopelessness. Don't get me wrong, it's a great, well-done movie, but I have to force myself to see it as a cautionary tale. Let's hope it has that influence.

Fox 2000 Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Linson Films; 20th Century Fox