mind twistingly awesome

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2000)

I talked to a close friend of mine recently about this movie and he indicated that I absolutely had to see it. At his urging, I saw this movie today and I'm still not quite sure what to say. I thought I was going to see a movie about fighting (which there was plenty of) but somewhere along the way, this movie took my brain and twisted it all up. Walking out of the theatre, I didn't know which way was up and everything around me seemed so surreal after this movie.
For those of you who don't know what this movie is about, here is a brief summary...as best as I can describe. Even now, I still have a hard time trying to coherently describe the storyline. This was one of the very few movies that I could not tell where the story was heading so I don't want to ruin it for you by telling you too much. The Fight Club is told through the eyes of a young man (Edward Norton) who suffers from insomnia as well as hating everything about his life. He tries to find himself by attending different suppport/addiction meetings and discovers that he can let himself go and is able to open up and bond with strangers. Not too soon afterwards on a business trip, he meets a soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). Through an unusual circumstance, Norton's character (who incidentally doesn't have a name) end up living together. As you quickly become aware of, Durden's character is almost the opposite of Norton's character. Everything that Norton's character wants to be Durden is and through this unusual friendship, the two create a secrete underground society called "The Fight Club". This club's purpose is for men who are trapped in their mundane pointless lives to come together and release stress by fighting each other. The club has a very strict set of rules that create form and structure for the members yet at the sametime allow them to release their frustrations and aggression. Everything, in it's own twisted way, seems to be going fine but as the movie progresses, Norton's character realizes that things (in addition to Durden) are starting to get out of hand. He tries to regain control of the situation and realizes that things are not what they seem.
The two main actors in this movie (Norton and Pitt) are fantastic. Edward Norton's portrayal of an insecure, conservative young man is very well done. In fact you don't realize the how well a job he does until the end of the movie. Brad Pitt plays the neurotic character of Tyler Durden equally well. The chemistry between the two of them is very evident and definitely adds to the entertainment of this movie. The supporting actors turn in good performances as well but most of the focus is around Norton and Pitt.
The one thing that I can tell you about this movie is that there is a lot going on. Almost everything that happens is representative of something so when you watch this movie, make sure you pay attention. You may not understand everything at the time but it all becomes very clear at the end. But as I hinted at the beginning, it is a very cerebrally twisted movie. It definitely makes you think about what the human mind is capable of and what it isn't. The scary thing is that this movie points more towards what the mind is capable of doing than not doing.
The movie is long but the ending is definitely worth it. Overall, I would recommend this movie to any adult. There is A LOT of graphic violence and is not for the faint of heart or the squeemish but if you can handle this type of thing then definitely go see it. You will enjoy it and even if you don't, the ending will make it worth your while.
A