Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed leading character - an "everyman" who can't find any sense in his white-collar job. He forms a "fight club" with soap maker Tyler Durden, played by Pitt. The two then become involved in a relationship with a wild woman by the name of Marla Singer, played by Bonham Carter. The movie is heavy on violence. Fincher said this was to mirror the difference between young people and the value system of advertising. The ending has a very unexpected twist to it.
When Fight Club was released, it was debated fiercely by critics because of its violence. A newspaper reported: "Many loved and hated it in equal measures." Some critics expressed concern that the film would lead to copycat behaviour. "The Times" said: "It touched a nerve in the male psyche." Although the film's makers called Fight Club "an accurate portrayal of men in the 1990s", some critics called it "irresponsible and appalling". In 2007, the magazine "Total Film" ranked Fight Club as "the greatest film of our lifetime". In the same year, Premiere selected Tyler Durden's line: "The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club," as the 27th greatest movie line of all time.
