Haunting critique of conformity and rebellion

Rating: Null/10 (21 July 2004)

"Fight Club" is a remarkably rare film; it effectively slaps the audience in its collective face with a unique depiction of alienation and the "multiple personalities" such phenomena seem to create. Indeed, the characters in "Fight Club" seem to be so worn down by mechanisms of social control and enforced conformity that the only way they feel "reality" is by literally beating the crap out of each other. This violent rebellion from expectations is unmasked as ultimate failure, however, in that it can only create more opportunities for alienation.
This paradox reminds me of another film: "Notes from Underground" by director Gary Walkow. A very faithful adaptation of the Dostoevsky novel, this film is an amazing examination of the Underground Man's relationship to his fellow human beings, marred by bitterness, spite, and above all, envy. In fact, the character in "Notes" (played by Henry Czerny) reminds one of the narrator of "Fight Club" in his cynicism and disgust for people around him. Both remain in a state of perpetual anxiety, and both know exactly where this comes from. I highly recommend these films, with 10 stars each.