David Fincher always manages to direct the kind of films that take the viewer to the deepest, darkest recesses of the psyche and have them relate to it consciously or subconciously. Fight Club is a fine example of this! And Fincher's presentation of the film proves that as his skill is improving, his cynacism and originality remain intact. (The IKEA scene was much lauded and I know will be much emulated in the future.) The script in this film blew me away with it's colorful narration and crisp dialogue. The acting in this film was phenomenal. It wasn't so much Edward Norton that surprised me as what I've seen of his talent he could play the transvestite in The Crying Game and have us all completely fooled, nor was it Brad Pitt who by the way hasn't exuded so much personality in a film since 12 Monkeys . It was Helena Bonham Carter who fleshed out Marla so beautifully that it was difficult to sympathize with her, yet it was impossible to hate her as well. And Meatloaf, who was completely surprising, was so touching and funny in his portrayal of Bob. But let's talk about the violence in this movie. I'm going to have to agree with Ploughman on this one: the violence in Fight Club is as signifigant as it was in A Clockwork Orange and should not be missed. Watching a film with the word Fight in the title and not expecting violence is like watching Faces of Death and not expecting to be traumatized! But the fight scenes are not only representative of Norton's inner turmoil (as Ploughman pointed out so insightfully), but an example of the lengths we go to to feel more alive, more complete in a society where we are becoming merely human counterparts to the technology we create. With that, if you haven't seen this film, watch it, and let the fight scenes make an imprint in your mind. What I find disturbing is not this film, but that the Academy chooses to recognize three-hour long drivel like Titanic and The English Patient and almost completely ignores brilliant, insightful explorations into the human condition like Fight Club !