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Anyone who is now the proud owner of the two-disc DVD release of "Fight Club" will have had a good chuckle over the reviews in the accompanying booklet. Most are not favourable and share the same conclusion, that the film is a violent and dangerous express train of masochism and aggression.

Ultimately, this is a movie that will offend many and it's hardly a pleasant experience. But it is on reflection a far less brutal experience than it first appears. It's effectiveness lies in the timing of shock moments that invariably threaten to make you laugh, despite the political incorrectness of it all.

"Fight Club" appears threatening to some because it seems to challenge the safety of the modern world. But while Edward Norton and Brad Pitt seem only to offer unprovoked violence and mayhem, there are some salient points on offer behind it all.

Namely, it is the examination of a man who has allowed himself to become sucked into the minutiae of his corporate job. He further exacerbates his spiral of paranoia by turning to other corporate gimmicks for solutions, and treating them like a religion. He is Edward Norton and Fight Club is his desperate reaction.

And unfortunately for those who disapprove, the self-deprecating humour and visual style has a hook for a generation that is increasingly cynical about corporate entertainment geared to sell them a complete lifestyle. But if all that sounds a little serious and pretentious then all you really need to know is that "Fight Club" rocks.