Fabulous and Misunderstood

Rating: Null/10 (19 June 2000)

If you saw Fight Club and felt ambivalent about it, see it again, this film is only benefitted by a second viewing. If you saw Fight Club and hated it, then, well, you're just insane. And this is why. Fight Club is NOT ABOUT violence, or fighting. It is about feeling, about leaving one's cubicle in the detached corporate world of America and getting in touch with people, places, and in turn, one's self. It is idealistic, and the oh-so-effective irony of the film is that today, even idealists have to be dark, have to be loud, have to be violent to envision their better world. Tyler can't come at people with a message of hope, or of simplicity right off the bat- he has to teach them through what they know.
The directing by David Fincher is wonderful (he's really always been a noteworthy director, Fight Club just magnifies his talent because of its subject matter), Edward Norton is an insanely good actor, and the script is superb. For those angry at the plot twist, why? I ask. It most certainly causes you to reevaluate the entire film (which is why I wholly recommend a second viewing), as a good twist should.
Apologies for the long-windedness and roundabout nature of this review, I am just a very passionate supporter of this film and am truly saddened by those who don't share this attitude. My point is, don't be turned off by the Fighting aspect of Fight Club. Look deeper, really take it in, because it is not a film about beating people up. It is about reconnecting, about taking chances, about giving up the multitude of irrational fears that each and every one of us possess in order to truly feel and experience life. For all its dark grimness, I think it is a beautiful and moving film. I recommend it to all.