Monday 23 January 2012

FIght Club


I'm just not convinced by Fight Club. The premise of the movie has so much promise, but I think it is a little too surreal and dark for me to find it that enjoyable. I think where I throw up some doubts is the fact that I love the opening premise and the twist at the end is pretty unexpected (at least on first viewing), but how they get from the opening to the end is just not good. It is superficial and vain, it is brutal and largely unnecessary. 

What I find quite difficult is that I am a massive fan of both Edward Norton and Brad Pitt as actors, and they do give brilliant performances. And yet it is not a film I particularly want to watch again and again. The first time you see it, it is a bit like the Sixth Sense where you a pulled in by the twist in the tale, the second you watch and see the obvious signs and pay more attention to what is in fact quite a weak storyline. 

The drudgery of life is something that I think all of us from time to time can relate to. The futility of parts of our job, coupled with the surprising lack of a social life can be hard to deal with, and is something that I think I do struggle with right now. I suppose where the difference between myself and Norton's character is the fact that I don't feel the need to fight or to ultimately blow up a load of buildings to deal with the anxiety. And I think that is the part of the film that is most confusing - the creation of a fight club isn't too far a step to take in your imagination, yet the move from fight club to a fascist terrorist organisation very much is. 

The film is rescued by an interesting twist, but for me the violence and the sadism are just too much on second viewing. 

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