Is it even real? Or just a dream.... -- SPOILER

Rating: 8/10 (19 April 2006)

An action film that makes an effort, like every movie should, at giving a life message. Brad Pitt does a nice job of playing an inhibition-to-the-winds bad boy who sports leather and sunglasses at night, and looks like a champion even when bleeding profusely while getting his face punched in. He takes the character played by Edward Norton away from his menial office job, and starts a life in which Norton can take out his frustrations, and live on the edge by beating the daylights out of other similarly hopeless men. The trouble comes when Pitt starts giving homework to the fighters. The group starts to become more of a criminal organization. Pitt then begins a program called Project Mayhem, recruiting members of the Fight Club, making them even more tough than the beat-downs of the Fight Club had made them, and initiates a program of urban terrorism. Pitt's repeated mantra is that he and his gathered army are the lowest of the low. They have lost all hope, do not fear death, and are stronger for it. The real twist comes when (ready? Here it comesÂ…) Pitt and Norton turn out to be the same person. This poses a very interesting situation, as Tyler (the character's name) struggles with himself to figure himself out, and to prevent the mass terror Pitt has planned. The climax comes when Norton shoots himself in the head, and kills Pitt. Miraculously Norton survives, and watches ten credit card buildings downed by homemade explosives. That's everything that is apparent to the viewer. With that in mind, I found the scenes where Pitt fought Norton to be ruined, as I realized that Norton was actually kicking his own butt. However this got me thinking about the reality of the entire film. The film was so fantastical and unreal that it is in fact possible that it was not a film about urban terror, and beating the stuffing out of others, but was about the internal struggle of one man. A man plagued by insomnia, and living in a world in which he could not tell reality from dreams.
It's a movie about personal struggles. Struggling with fear, self-loathing and desire. It was such an intense choice of theme, that it was often times difficult to figure out. However a couple things were clear. One was that those who have lost all hope are the strongest of all, because they have nothing left to fear. Another was that fear is a burden on all of us. It is what keeps us from doing what we truly want to do. And it's true. Fear of something is the ultimate impediment in our lives. The key is to let ourselves go, and to embrace pain as a learning experience. Then we can be who we want, and do what we want. Similarly, fear should be embraced, and should be used as a driving force. At one point Pitt points a gun to convenience store clerk's head, and orders him to become a veterinarian (like he had wanted to be in his youth) or else Pitt would kill him. This was one of those action movies that was fun to watch, albeit gruesome at times. It was visually exciting and a tickling comedy as well. It wasn't cinematographically amazing, but it wasn't boring in that sense. When is comes to a message, it got it done also. It knew what its main message was from the start, and it got it out there as well. However the crowning jewel of this film was the way the intricate and bizarre plot was worked flawlessly into the main idea, to create a seamless film. If this film leaves you with a raised eyebrow, and an inquiring mind, it did its job. But give it a chance. And remember, if it doesn't make you think, it's not worth your time. -Michael