Somehow it works

Rating: Null/10 (30 August 2004)

(I will comment the film as if in episodes) The first 30 minutes of film really caught me. After that, I couldn't completely dislike the movie no matter how much worse it would get (and it got just a bit). The "help groups" storyline could be a movie in itself, and I found it a very convincing comment on modern life loneliness. Of course, something else made me relate to that part of the film - I HAVE INSOMNIA TOO, and I'm sure almost anyone in the same situation will appreciate the film. After that, the actual plot starts, things become a bit far-fetched but somehow the whole "fight club" bit also made sense. The movie says (and it's not subtle) that live in a big city is a perpetual hypnotic state of mind and the only way you can wake up is by taking a fierce punch in the stomach - no epiphany will do, no brilliant book, not even a movie will do, only huge physical pain will. Since obviously we cannot take this literally in our lives - or we will end up acting as mad and dangerous as the character - the movie admits it can't provide an answer and moves to the third part, which is just silly but fun action mixed with plot resolution. The social content kind of exhausts itself from then on, but the movie still had more than 90% of the Hollywood action flicks around. At this point I have to say: so what if you can see the sixth-sense like "twist" coming from a mile? That flaw takes something of the excitement from following the plot, but not of the general impact of the film. After the middle, there are some 40 minutes of action you don't remember after the movie is over, but don't mind watching either. The very end is exactly the way the film HAD to end. When Norton starts trying to "save" people, I go like "crap, the screenwriters either didn't understand their own plot or were forced to make a Hollywood ending". But in the last minute, the whole "double person" device went the right direction. Nothing brilliant about the resolution, it was just satisfactory. I am not saying it is "deep" like watching a great Bergman, Spike Lee or something, but it does have great ideas and social comments throughout (and they are certainly not "hidden" in a way you need to look "through" the action). If you just want action, it is from average to good and still very much worth the rental.