The fact that director David Fincher moved up the ranks to becoming so sought after started out as a bit of a surprise. Fincher’s early work as a music video director garnered him enough attention for Hollywood to give him the opportunity to direct the much maligned “Alien 3.” You know the one with the bald Ripley… and actually bald everyone else. It was such a disaster that his career as a filmmaker almost ended then and there, but he redeemed himself with his follow-up films, “Se7en” and “Fight Club.” It was only after these films came out that people began to realize Fincher really was a good director, and it started to come to light that the problems surrounding “Alien 3” were more the fault of the studios unwillingness to allow him a proper budget. Fortunately he doesn’t have to put up with that anymore and further projects like “Zodiac” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” have proven he is an extremely talented and visionary director.

Of all of his films however, “Fight Club” still stands as an insanely popular ‘cult’ film. This week, we are celebrating the 10th Anniversary of “Fight Club” with the release of a fully loaded Bluray and for those of you who are not familiar with the film… boy are you in for a treat. The film is very hard to describe on paper, but I’ll try to give it you at least a nutshell synopsis. Edward Norton stars as ‘Jack’, a travelling salesman for an automobile manufacturer who suffers from insomnia and attends support groups in order to deal with it. He meets Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) and Tyler (Brad Pitt) strikes up uneven friendships with both that end up in fights.

For ‘Jack’ and Tyler it erupts into knuckle busting fights. These fights spark an interest in starting a ‘Fight Club’, which in turn begins to spread across the country. This secretive ‘club’ begins to turn even darker as it promotes an end to consumerism, culminating in an attack that is supposed to be the starting point to bringing about that end.

Lost? Sure you are. Anyone who just read that would be. Actually most people who first saw the movie felt the same way. “Fight Club” is a thinking man’s movie. It is not fluff, it is not simple… it is very complex and as such did not start getting critical accolades until well after its release on DVD. As audiences began to explore multiple viewings, the more intellectual of them began to ‘get it.’ It took me a second viewing to truly appreciate what a masterful piece of storytelling it was. Subsequent viewings have only served to nurture my love of the film.

Norton and Pitt are at the top of their game in “Fight Club.” Both actors throw away all of the typical conventions of acting and pull out all the stops to create characters that are equally over the top and recognizable as reasonable versions of ourselves. I’ve always appreciated Pitt’s acting when he moves outside of the normal range of characters into those like Tyler Darden, Jeffrey Goines (“12 Monkeys”) or Lt. Aldo Raine (“Inglourious Basterds”).

20th Century Fox’s new Bluray release is, hands down, the way to experience “Fight Club.” The video presentation is the best it has ever been, and even though the look of the film is supposed to be dreary, the color and details really stand out. But it is the audio presentation that really makes for the most fully immersive experience I’ve ever had with this film. Whether the scene calls for ‘quiet as a whisper’ sound or explosive punches, hits… and, well… explosions, this soundtrack fills every corner of a room that has a decent surround sound system.

Telling you that this disc has special features is like saying my dog has hair. The list is long and demanding, but again “Fight Club” is really an experience not just a movie and all of these features serve to pull you deeper into it. There are no less than 4 commentaries, the first two delivered by Fincher alone then Fincher along with Pitt, Norton and Carter. These are the best of the commentaries as they are full of first hand information from some very animated speakers. The subsequent commentaries by Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls and Alex McDowell, Jeff Cronenweth, Michael Kaplan and Kevin Haug are more technical in nature. They are no less interesting, it just depends on where your particular interest lies. The best feature about these commentaries is that you have the ability to choose topics and have the disc take you right to that scene and part of the commentary.

“A Hit In The Ear: Ren Klyce and the sound design of Fight Club” is a new feature that allows viewers to re-mix the sound on four scenes. There is also a pretty humorous feature called “Flogging Fight Club”… all I can say is watch it and laugh. Beyond these, there are tons of behind the scenes featurettes, deleted and alternate scenes, promo spots, you name it. You can check out the list below and just know that you’re in for a full week’s worth of viewing.

“Fight Club” is considered a guy’s movie and I suppose I can see why. But truth be told, I think anyone with even half a brain (sorry Texas…) would enjoy the intricacies of the complex plot and the surprises that lay within all its twists and turns.

Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf Aday, Jared Leto
Extras: Commentary by David Fincher; Commentary by David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter; Commentary by Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls; Commentary by Alex McDowell, Jeff Cronenweth, Michael Kaplan and Kevin Haug; A Hit In The Ear: Ren Klyce and the sound design of Fight Club; Welcome to Fight Club; Angel Faces Beating; The Crash; Tyler's Goodbye; Insomniac Mode: Jack's Index, Commentary Index, Topic Search; 2009 Spike TV's Guys Choice Award; Work: Production, Visual Effects, On Location; 7 Deleted Scenes and Alternate Scenes; 12 TV Spots; Public Service Announcements; Music Video; 5 Internet Spots; Promotional Gallery; Edward Norton Interview; Art Gallery; BD-Live Ready; Bootstrap; Trailers to other Fox/MGM titles
Specifications: 1080p HD (2.40:1), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: 11/17/2009
http://www.foxbluray.com

We'll give Fight Club: 10th Anniversary (Bluray) an A.