One of the strongest indications that something important is being said is how much negativity and misinterpretation is directed at the message. Fight Club is a perfect example of that. The film received a lot of bad press and much of it originated from misunderstanding the message.

The most common argument I've heard is that it's an overly violent film that glorifies men getting off on beating up other men. This is entirely wrong. The film is about men receiving pleasure from getting beaten up. The distinction may not seem like much, but it's the key to the entire film. The main character, the Narrator, isn't a man who wants to destroy others (at least not at first); he wants to destroy himself so that he can tear away everything that's wrong with his life.

Fight Club unflinchingly shows us what ills our society today. Is there a fascist undertone in the portrayal of men shaving their heads, wearing all black and blindly following their Fight Club leader? If so, is it any more fascist than an entire generation shamelessly adorning themselves in "uniforms" covered with corporate logos as they strive to live in the same houses, drive the same cars and compare similar bank accounts? Perhaps that's why some disliked the film - it showed them a truth they didn't want to see.

From the very first scenes in the movie, it's obvious that the Narrator (he's never officially named in the film - he could be anyone) is having some serious problems. He's suffering from insomnia and when he's awake, he's just going through the motions. The only respite from the routine the Narrator fins is by attending support groups for people with devastating medical problems. He suffers none of these ailments, but that's not the point - he seems to gain something by being around everyone else's misery. This is only a temporary fix, however, as he discovers a woman attending the same groups (though she is clearly out of place when she shows up for the testicular cancer survivor meeting). She disrupts his newfound peace, perhaps because it crystalizes his own deception by participating in the groups, and soon he's back in the same rut.

His second break in the routine comes when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), an entrepreneurial soap salesman. Tyler turns the Narrator's life around when the two form the Fight Club. In a way, the Fight Club is another sort of support group, but infinitely more intense. Instead of crying about their misery, the members of the club pound each other until their physical bodies match their emotional distress.

There are elements of Fight Club best left unspoiled, so I will stop with the plot description. Not only is the story compelling, but the direction and visual style is stunning. David Fincher is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors - I'm anxious to see what he does next. The acting is also first-rate. Ed Norton (the Narrator) and Pitt don't just seem to be acting the parts so much as embodying them. Also a standout is Helena Bonham Carter as Marla; her interplay with Norton and Pitt contains layers of meaning. Watch the film a second time and you'll notice nuances of her performance that are outstanding