"Fight club"; directed by David Fincher (1999), is a movie that holds many themes. One main theme that is consistent throughout the entire film is that of masculinity (www-scf.usc.edu/~buckalew/fight.htm), linking into the theme of anti-feminism, however this theme is not presented to the viewer in a way which is insulting to females. This film demonstrates to the viewer how the modern men of today feel their power and purposes are fading and highlights the extreme men will go to in order for them to regain their important masculinity. It returns to the well-known caveman days where men like to perceive themselves as the hunter, or gatherer, the more dominant of the sexes. This idea is overpowering in this movie and one thing this film aims to do is make it's point as clear as possible about the modern day men in society. This theme of masculinity is highlighted in the movie through two main areas; these are character and symbolism.
Fight Club is basically about men who are employed to serve others, men who hold jobs such as waiters, men who feel that they have lost a certain degree of their masculinity, who come together and unite by forming Fight Club (www.critism.com/md/fightclub). This club is a place where they can fight each other and feel like real men again. The film itself is very in your face and gritty, with extreme violence. I believe that Fincher, although not entirely discluding the female audience, but by making "Fight Club extremely gritty and violent was attempting to overwhelm and bring out the masculinity of the audience in the two and a half hours while they are viewing the movie.
The theme of anti-feminism is clear to us at many points throughout the movie, particularly in the fact that the women characters in the movie meet bad ends. The two women characters in the film are Marla Singer and Chloe. Marla is a rather tragic character. She steals, smokes and is completely used by Jack, although she is clearly in love with him.
