Fight Club DVD Review

Whatever criticisms anybody might like to level at director David Fincher, there's no denying he is one of the most visually impressive directors around, and this film is unquestionably his best looking to date. We should all be thankful then that the anamorphic 2.40:1 transfer included on the disc is up there with the best of them, giving equally impressive treatment to the neon soaked colour scheme as it does to subtle skin tones and the vast areas of shadows which haunt many of the locations.

From the moment the film kicks off with the Dust Brothers' music and Fincher's camera zooming around the neural pathways of Norton's brain, you can tell this is going to be an impressive Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Every opportunity is used to crank out perfectly placed (and staggeringly clear) surround effects as the restless camera rushes around taking in everything it can. Constantly on the edge of being overloaded with aural information, the most remarkable thing about the mix is that it never sounds muddied or confused. Most impressive.

The only aspect of this package not to stand up to comparison with the fantastic Region 1 version is the amount of extra features included. Don't get us wrong, it's still a very sizeable collection of material, but for whatever reason, the UK release is stripped of three commentary tracks and three deleted/alternate scenes. What you're left with includes an audio commentary featuring Fincher, Norton, Pitt, and Bonham Carter, 15 behind the scenes sequences with commentaries from the production crew & multi-angle options, bios for the principal cast & crew, six deleted/alternate scenes, a host of trailers and TV spots, a transcript of an interview with Norton, five internet spots, a collection of art galleries, and a Dust Brothers music video.