Love it or Hate it, it is different!

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2005)

I just watched Fight Club this week, I'd been avoiding it, mostly because I just had convinced myself I wouldn't like it. In fact, I was sure I'd hate it. OK-here goes-BOY WAS I WRONG! This movie is really really different, obviously very well made and now that I've seen it I can understand why it's ranked so high on the IMDb top movies of all time.
Not to say I thought it was perfect. I did, as expected, have a problem with all the violence but that I expected and doesn't take away from the well written intelligent script, much in the same way as the Kill Bill movies which I felt the same way about. In fact, Fight Club reminded me of Kill Bill, not because the stories had any similarity whatsoever but because of the fact that their both violent, both (for lack of a better term) completely out there!, yet both very gritty and extremely intelligent.
So yeah I liked Fight Club. I've read dozens of reviews on here and many mention plot and how it's one of the best movies ever made etc-so I wont even go there. What I will say is that Norton and Pitt are wonderfully matched on screen and I cannot imagine these two roles being played by anyone else. Were there ANY Oscar nominations for this movie? I don't seem to remember any which is a shame. Pitt's best role to date and maybe Norton's as well.
I will say I can see where this maybe liked more by men then women. Most females I know have not and do not want to see this while most of the guys I know have seen it or plan to at some point. This movie should have been promoted in a different way because to many people think it's about nothing more then boxing and men beating each other up and that turns a lot of people off. Anyway:
I admired Fight Club, I thought it was bizarre and frightening in a way and can see similarities to many movies from Clockwork Orange to Lord of the Flies. My one complaint is something that I haven't seen brought up a lot.
SPOILER ALERT: I had a bit of a problem with the ending. I mean, as odd as this movie was, it wasn't over the top to the point where you roll your eyes or anything. But at the end when Norton shoots Tyler and it seems he has gotten rid of him and everything is gonna be OK... I was a bit baffled because if there was anything this movie wasn't, till that point, it was "feel good", and that was my thought about the ending. I mean Norton's character had multiple personality disorder and all of a sudden he was over it like that? When Tyler had been such a big part of him for so long. Now it is possible I misinterpreted the ending(I've been on the message boards and everyone seems to have a different theory about what the ending really meant.) But that really did bother me since that is a pretty serious thing and it seemed a little unrealistic the way it was done but hey this is a movie.
Anyway, I still don't know if I'd rank this in the top 35 movies of all time but I have no problem understanding how this could be someone's favorite movie, it was very well done and is probably the type of movie any film school student should study(though I could also see how this wouldn't be for everyone). I'd give it an 8.5 out of 10. And I'll say it again, Pitt and Norton-both should have been nominated, great performances.