Violence of a different breed, philosophy that just misses

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2002)

Some movies go for stylized violence, a la "Pulp Fiction." Some
take it to something very near ballet, like "The Matrix." Others skirt
the issue and blur the worst moments, as in the hospital scenes
in "Pearl Harbor."
But the violence in "Fight Club" is a different breed - a raw,
unadulterated sort that sears at your eyes during some of the
intense sequences. It's back-alley stuff: bloodied knuckles and
noses, bruises and lacerations, and all worn like Bronze Stars by
the characters.
And mixed in there is a sort of quasi-Nietzche cant, a half-formed
philosophy that's equal parts Machiavelli and Unibomber.
I'm not totally convinced by the intellectual end of the film - there
are inconsistencies in the idealogies, though I appreciate the irony
of the highly structured Fight Club made up of a bunch of
anarchists.
Roger Ebert makes mention of the "Keyser Soze syndrome"
regarding the conclusion of the film, which has some merit - it
does seem to unravel everything in a heartbeat, though there are
subtle signs pointing to what's revealed in the closing act. It takes
a little (well, perhaps a lot) of insight, but it's there in front of you if
you're thinking as the movie goes along.
Of course, the caveat to that is that the movie, with its torrent of
violence and mayhem, makes it difficult to do anything but get
swept along in the madness.
"Fight Club" warrants a few viewings - it's tough to say you love it or
hate it after watching just once. You'll either appreciate the
nuances after seeing it two or three times, or absolutely hate the
oversaturated machismo of it all. It's up to you to take that stand.