Fight Club

I hated “Fight Club” the first time I saw it (apparently a sentiment that’s not uncommon) I recognized the brilliant direction, strong performances, tight narrative structure and sharp writing at work. The picture just rubbed me the wrong way. Now that I’m over the initial shock and seen it a second time, I’ve got a new perspective.

When our unnamed, deskbound, unambitious, run-of-the-mill hero (Edward Norton) meets the chaos-loving Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) something clicks. Frustrated with life, our hero gets talked into creating “Fight Club”, an underground gathering where men beat each other senseless for recreation.

My initial rejection came from my aversion to the central theme and philosophy of the titular Fight Club. It's a place for emasculated, frustrated men, the kind who believe that changing gender roles have robbed them of their identity. Without wooly mammoth to hunt at spearpoint while their female remains in their caveman home, they feel cheated. Obsessed with lashing out, they become numb to the finer things in life and find nothing to celebrate but anger. The only thing that keeps them going is a desire to destroy and make everyone else as miserable as them. It’s a teenager’s perspective, one that’s so focused on finding something to rage about – other people’s happiness or success, modern developments, credit card companies, organized government, advertising or civilization in any form - that it doesn’t realize how ridiculous it is. But is this film REALLY promoting that ideology?

Ultimately, I don’t think so."Fight Club" may give the illusion that it does, but that’s where our unnamed protagonist comes in. When this avatar for the audience realizes the madness that’s at hand here, something clicks. “Fight Club” is maddening, terrifying. Perhaps, like me, you’ll only come to see this long after the end credits are over. Eventually, however, it hits you. This film is not a celebration. It’s a cautionary tale; a horror movie about someone that’s neck deep in a cult and only has the slimmest chance of being able to do anything about it.

Or maybe “Fight Club” does make some good points. Decide for yourself (but if you think the idea of a real-life “Fight Club” is a good one, please stay away from me) Either way, what surrounds the core is brilliant. Dynamic camera movements, an unwavering brutality that somehow sells itself, sharp dialogue, shocking developments and brilliant direction from David Fincher. “Fight Club” sticks a knife into your skull and swirls it around until your brains start oozing out of your ears. It’s disturbing, I’m not sure how it will affect women (actually, that’d be a fascinating perspective) but as a man, it impacted me like a volley of punches to the face. “Fight Club” is unforgettable. (Theatrical version on the big screen, February 7, 2017)