BW Pacino Lover

While my feelings about almost all of the plot have changed dramatically since my first watch almost 15 years ago, it’s not wonder to me why I was so enthralled by this story and its construction. I’ve loved this story and its characters for so long and in so many different ways now that it seems impossible to have any sort of objective viewpoint, but I think that that lends itself to the power of the themes that Fincher chooses to highlight, and the star power of this cast to impart so much emotion (misplaced or not) on their audience. The gritty aesthetic, the shot selection/camera movement, and the at times overwhelming Dust Brothers soundtrack make for such a perfect introduction to Fincher as auteur that it’s no surprise that he quickly became my favorite director, and this film my North Star as a 16 year old. Reaching the age of the characters has revealed so much about the psychologies at play and their inherent biases, and this only makes the text richer to me. While I’ve lost much, if not most, empathy for Ed Norton and Tyler Durden has become more of a warning than an aspiration, I still see the power of their performances as an act of living art that begs interaction with and consideration from an audience who very likely stands in opposition to the ideas of the film. This conversational aspect seems crucial to enjoying the movie, and overlooking it feels like a guaranteed way to disapprove and write off the ideas in question without regard for what internal processes of a young man could lead them down such a disturbed path (the point of watching these characters). Required reading for young film bros who think they’re better than everyone, only for time to reveal their worthlessness and fragile facades!

Denzel, please make a single good decision!! 😂 classic noir plot and themes executed to well by this team, and the tension is sky high the entire time. Love the vibe, humor and aesthetic of this and can definitely see myself rewatching this if I’m in need of modern Hitchcock thrills. My wife hates Denzel and she was sucked in by the plot alone! Definitely worth the watch.

There’s a lot going on here, and not necessarily in a good way! Telecommunications grift with a father-in-law using his dead son’s wife to find a new cash machine, Lost City billionaire trickster who wants to Scrooge McDuck dive into diamonds, Coco the Gorilla trying to find her place in the real world despite being raised in captivity, all in the middle of a vaguely war-torn Africa that doesn’t seem to mind cocky Americans galavanting through ruins as long as bribes are paid. Confident i won’t be revisiting this on purpose, despite the lasers vs. gorillas battle at the end.

As a kid I thought Dustin Hoffman and Henry Winkler were the same person…. The Fonz could not have pulled this off! Love a paranoid thriller, and the plot of this one is great! Nazis will always be great villains because their label is all you need to get started. The more you learn, the more evil they become and the more endeared we are to any protagonist altruistic enough to challenge them. Combine this with multiple double-crosses, an up-all-night vibe, and beautiful actors giving 110% to their parts, and you’re in for a great time. I wish they had forced the phrase “Marathon Man” into the dialogue just for some ridiculousness (thug chasing him saying something like, “what is this guy, some kind of Marathon Man?”), but I’ll accept a banger of an political thriller in its place! Shout out Roy Schneider… this guy doesn’t miss!