Film that you hate to love

Rating: Null/10 (24 April 2013)

I still think that I shouldn't like this film. That I shouldn't allow myself to like this film. Its worldview is so ugly, so nihilistic and corrupted, that you actually fear that your own morals darken just by looking at it. Sure you justify it to yourself by telling that it's actually telling us not to give into hate, not to believe that our lives have no meaning, not to realize that we're just corporate puppets. And yes, the film actually carries a warning undertone, showing why people like Tyler Durden cannot be correct.
It's hard to tell yourself that when you're watching the actual film though. Because in all honesty Brad Pitt is so good in this film, so magnificently charismatic, that it's no wonder that some people actually went and started their own fight clubs. No wonder that Tyler Durden has been voted the best movie character of all time numerous times. The man is that good in his role. And it is a distinct possibility that our society would be better off if he weren't, because in all honesty Tyler Durden is everything that we shouldn't be.
And that's what makes this film so damn good. It is the ugly underbelly of human condition, of modern society. It's not nice to look at, it won't make you feel any better, but damn if isn't one heck of a trip to experience. This movie is so convinced that what it's saying is the God's truth that you have no choice but to be pulled in, even momentarily.
But it's not just the message. It's a great movie even without the story and the character of Tyler Durden. The style, the art direction, the camera work, the rest of the cast, the music, the dirty jokes, the plot twists, the sheer ugly charisma. You might never like this film, no matter how often you can force yourself to watch it, but you can never deny that it's not a brilliant piece of film making. And that is why I think everyone should see it at least once. Because it's the end of the spectrum, as of now. You'll appreciate life more after you've realized that this is a work of fiction and that you're not living in it yourself.