Fight Club (1999)
David Fincher: Rules of the Game, Part 5
“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 fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.”
After back-to-back successes with SE7EN and THE GAME, David Fincher found himself at the top of Hollywood's A-list, proving that he could produce hit films without abandoning his dark sensibilites.
His next project, however, would put his reputation to the test. Although it's now considered a classic — and may very well be Fincher's most widely-seen film — when FIGHT CLUB was released in 1999, it was met with controversy, a negative critical reception, and disappointing box office returns.
In this episode, we'll trace the entire history of FIGHT CLUB, from its inception as a novel to Fincher's development of the film and subsequent battles with the studio over the story's content, all the way through its divisive release in the fall of 1999, as well as how its legacy stands today, a quarter century after its initial release.
SYNOPSIS:
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
Up Next: David Fincher — Rules of the Game, Part 6: PANIC ROOM.
CAST & CREW
Directed by: David Fincher
Screenplay by: Jim Uhls
Based on: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Produced by: Art Linden | Ceán Chaffin | Ross Grayson Bell
Cast: Brad Pitt | Edward Norton | Helena Bonham Carter | Meat Loaf | Jared Leto | Holt McCallany
Cinematography: Jeff Cronenweth
Edited by: James Haygood
Music by: The Dust Brothers
Release Date: October 15, 1999
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
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