Field Dispatch
Matt Connarton Unleashed: Erich Pilcher reviews Fight Club.
Every week. Tyler gave the rules that he and I decided. Gentlemen,
Welcome to fight club. The first rule of fight club is you do not
talk about fight club. Second rule of fight club is you do not talk
about fight club. Third rule of fight club. Someone yell stopped, goes
limp taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule, only two guys
to fight. Fitth rule, one fight at a time fellas. Sixth rule,
no shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule, fights will go on as
long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule, if this
is your first night of fight club, you have to fight this kid from
work. Ricky couldn't remember whether you ordered pens with blue ink or black,
But Ricky was a god for ten minutes when he trounced the major d of
a local food court. Sometimes all you can hear where the flat hard packing
sounds, everybody yelling for the wet choke. When someone caught their breath and
sprayed. You weren't alive anywhere like you were there. But fight club only
exists in the hours between when fight club starts and when fight club ends.
Even if I could tell someone they had a good fight, I wouldn't be
talking to the same man who you were in fight clubs, not who you
were in the rest of the world. A guy came to fight Club for
the first time. His ass was a lot of cookie dough. After a
few weeks, he was carved out of wood. I have stated many times
on this program that I feel nineteen ninety nine is the greatest year in the
history of cinema. All genres of film were represented strongly. These films were
great from top to bottom, with top notch direction, brilliant writing, amazing
performances, and even mesmerizing soundtracks. There is one film that defies genres explanation
into this day has people still trying to decipher what it all meant. That
ambiguity is what leads to its greatness. Directed by David Fincher, based off
the nineteen ninety six novel by Chuck Plank, Fight Club introduces us to a
nameless man simply known as the Narrator Edward Norton in his breakout role, a
man that is extremely disenchanted with his life. That is until he meets a
man named Tyler Durden played by Brad Pitt, a man that, by bringing
the Narrator into his dark world, brightens his life and empowers him. The
film also stars Helena Bottom, Carter, and the late Meet Loaf a Day
in a memorable role. Our first clip was Dirten stating the famous rules of
fight Club. Our next two clips set the stage for the changes that come
to the narrator. First, he goes over his life that is wrought with
insomnia and mindless home shopping. What makes this scene so great is we hear
the hopelessness and despair in Norton's voice. And then, on a business flight
for his meaning old job, his life changes when he meets Tyler Dirting.
For six months, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't see, I couldn't sleep
with insomnia. Nothing's real, everything's far away. Everything's a copy of a
copy of a copy. When deep space exploration ramps up, it'll be the
corporations that name everything. The IBM Stellar Sphere, the Microsoft Galaxy, planets,
Starbucks. I need you have a town a little more. This week,
we guys have red flags to cover. It must have been tuesday.
He was wearing his corn flower blue tie. You want me to deprioritize my
current reports until you guys have a status upgrade. Make these your primary action
items. He's your flighte coupons. Call me from the road if there's any
snacks. He was full of pet must have had his Grande latte enema.
Like so many others. I had been come a slave to the ikea nesting
instant. Yes, I'd like to order the Eric Caring dust ruffles. If
I saw something clever, like a little coffee table in the shape of a
union, I had to have it. The Clip's personal office unit, the
hove a track home exer bike, or the Johanneshev sofa with the string green
stripe pattern. Even the rhizlampa wire lamps of environmentally friendly unbleached paper. I'd
flip through catalogs and wonder what kind of dining set defines me as a person.
I had it all, even the glass dishes with tiny bubbles and imperfections,
proof that they were crafted by the honest, simple, hardworking indigenous peoples
of wherever I was holding. We used to read pornography. Now it was
the horse Chowl collection and introducing Tyler Dirty. Every time the plane bank too
sharply on takeoff for landing, I prayed for a crash or a mid air
collision. Anything life insurance pays off triple if you die on a business trip.
If you are seated in an emergency XPO. Yeah, and feel you
would be unable or unwilling to perform the duties listed on the safety card,
please ask a flight attendant to reseat you. It's a lot of responsibility once
which seats. No, I'm not sure I'm a man for that particular job.
An extra door procedure of thirty thousand feet h the illusion of safety,
Yeah, I guess. So. You know where they put oxygen masks on
planes so you can breathe. Oxygen gets you high. Any catastrophic emergency,
you're taking giant panic breadths. Suddenly you become your fork dwesole. You accept
your fate. It's all right here. Emergency water landing six hundred miles an
hour, blank faces, calm is Hindu cows. That that's an interesting theory.
What do you do? What do you mean we do for a living?
Why? Super pretend like you're interested. Okay, you have a kind
of sick desperation in your life. We have the exact same briefcase. So
sorry, I make and I sell soap. The yardstick of civilization, and
this is how I'm at Tyler Dirton. Did you know a few mixed equal
parts of gasoline and frozen No, introduce concentrate. You can make napalmer.
No, I did not know that? Is that true? That's right?
One can make all kinds of explosives using simple household items. Really fun.
Was so inclined? Tell you are by far the most interesting single serving friend
I've ever met to. Having everything on a plane is single serving, even
the Moore, I get it. It's very clever. Thank you. How's
that working out for you? What? Being clever? Great? Keep it
up to Norton is phenomenal in this film, as is bottom Carter. But
the performance that has people still talking even twenty plus years after the film's release
is the performance of Pitt. He is the calm and the storm, but
yet the violent fire that rages. The psychology he conveys in this performance drives
this film. Our next two clips are examples of this. First, Dirten
convinces the narrator to hit him. Of note here is how Tyler remains calm
in convincing the narrator on what to do, and the narrator just follows.
Then, in one of the most memorable scenes, he gives the narrator a
chemical burn and forces him to go through the pain. These are prime examples
of the sociopathic nature of dirtan that becomes fully exposed as the film goes on.
But what do you want me to do? You just want me to
hit you? Why? Why? I don't know why. I don't know.
Never been a fight, you know. But that's a good thing,
though it is. How much can you know about yourself? You've never been
in fight. I don't want to die without any scars. Come on,
hit me before I lose my nerve. God, this is crazy, so
going crazy? Let her Ripkay, I don't know about this. I don't
need Who gives a show? One watching? What do you care? What
is this crazy? You want me to hit you? That's right? What?
Like in the face? Surprised me? This is so stupid. Mother
hit me in the ear? Well, jesus, I'm sorry? By the
ear man up? Oh that was perfect? That really hurts? All right?
Again? Where you're with me? Come on, we should do this
again sometime now. Tyler inflicts pain on the narrator. What is this?
This is a chemical urse. We'll hurt more than you've ever been burned?
And you will have a school guided meditation. Work for cancer, can work
for this pain. Don't shut this God your hand person is made from the
asses of heroes, like the person monkey shotting space. Without pain, without
sacrifice, it would have nothing. I tried not to think of the word
serious. Flash. This is your pain, this is your burning hand.
It's right here. Who's going to my kid? I'm going to my kidn't
find my power? No, don't deal with the Towego's dead. People do.
Come on bain. What you're feeling is premature and life. It's a
glass moment of your life. Man, and you're off somewhere, miss shot.
Our bottles were models for God. If our father's bailed, what does
that tell you about God? Listening to man to consider the possibility that God
does not like you, never me or you can use vinegar to neutralize and
burn. First, First, you have to know, not fear. No,
some day you come to die. You don't know how this feels.
It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything. Congratulations one
still closer to the bottom. Many times, and in many genres, there
needs to be a love story or a love interest to me fight club is
the exception to those rules, but nonetheless it has one. The woman is
Marla Singer played by the aforementioned Bottom Carter, a woman the narrator meets while
attending support groups for deadly diseases became. It helps him feel better and allows
him to break the chains of insomnia. The two strike up an awkward friendship
while negotiating what groups these two individuals faking will attend. Our final clip shows
the toxic, confusing relationship. Marla and the narrator share. You don't know.
No, I mean it's okay, he's still going to group. Yeah,
Chloe's dead. Chloe? When did that happen? You can't. I
don't know. I haven't thought about it in a while. Yeah, it
was a smart move on her part. You listen, Um, what are
you getting out of all this? What I mean all this? Why do
you keep? Is this making you happy? Yeah? Well? Sometimes?
What I don't know, I don't understand. Mean why why does a weaker
person need to laptoo a strong person? What? What? What is that?
What do you get out of it? No, that's that's not the
same thing at all. I mean that's totally different with us. Us.
What do you mean by us, I'll try you. Here is who you're
not hearing on that noise? Just hold on a second. No, wait,
what were you saying? Don't change to oth day? I don't want
to talk about this. You're not talking about me? No what that day?
Came over to my place, the doctor? What was going on there?
What are you talking about? Nothing? Nothing? I don't think so
I'm come on, what do you want? Look at me? No?
What? Look at me? What is that? It's nothing? Don't worry
about it? My god, who did this? A person? Guy?
Girl? What do you care if it's a guy or a girl? Do
you care? If I ask? It's none of your business. Leave me
alone. I am not afraid to say. Let me go, talk to
me. Let go at this conversation. It's conversation. It's over. It's
over. I just can't go with you, can I. At the beginning
of this review, I mentioned how this film is talked about to this day.
It simply is not because it's a great film or the amazing performances.
It is because that even now people struggle to interpret what the film means.
The ending of this film features one of the greatest plot twists in the history
of cinema. Some say they see it coming, many more never saw it
coming. I dare someone to watch this film for the first time, even
the second, third, fourth, and so on and not have the same
questions they had the first time they watched it. Those questions are what makes
this film stand the test of time and puts it in a class by itself
while being labeled one of the greatest films ever made. I hope you joined
me next week when we will look at the mesmerizing Mafia character study the compelling
true story Donnie Brasco starring Johnny Depp and Al Paccino for W M n H
and Matt Connerton Unleashed. This has been a classic film review with Charica Film
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