Well, it feels like everyone who has seen Fight Club has broken the first two rules of Fight Club, which are “do not talk about Fight Club.” However, it’s one of the best movies of the ‘90s and a classic in David Fincher’s filmography, so it’s hard not to break them. So, for years, I’ve avoided the film because I knew the admittedly mind-blowing plot twist.
However, I decided to give it a shot recently, even though I knew the biggest surprise about it, and I’m thrilled to report that I was still very shocked by this movie.
Fight Club And I Are The Same Age, And I Couldn’t Avoid The Spoilers
I was born in 1999, and Fight Club came out in October that same year. Basically, the entire time I’ve been alive, this Edward Norton and Brad Pitt film has been around and talked about. Therefore, as a film enthusiast-turned-entertainment-journalist, I couldn’t avoid its biggest spoiler and one of the best plot twists ever.
For years and years, I’ve known that Pitt’s Tyler Durden was Edward Norton’s Narrator. In other words, I’ve known the Ocean’s Eleven star’s character wasn’t real. And I’ve known it was Norton’s character running the whole entire show. Therefore, I didn’t really see the point in watching the film if there was no surprise, especially since I’m not really into this kind of intense, hyper-masculine movie anyway.
However, it’s a classic, it’s one of Norton and Pitt’s best movies, and it felt like not giving it a chance was a disgrace. So, I decided to give it a watch with my HBO Max subscription, and by golly, did it surprise me.
I Was Shocked By The Narrator's Whole Relationship With Marla
The surprises started right at the start of the movie. Obviously, I knew Helena Bonham Carter was in the cast, however, I didn’t know how pivotal her character, Marla, was to the story. I also didn’t realize how wild her plotline was or the bizarre way she met the Narrator.
So, shock number one came when Norton’s character met Marla. The fact that they came into contact because they were both attending support groups that they really had no reason to be at was hilarious and incredibly odd. However, it immediately told me that they were on a similar wavelength, and it developed their connection in a clear and memorable way.
Then, shock number two was sustained throughout the rest of the movie as I watched Marla’s relationship with Tyler grow while the Narrator spectated. Although I knew, and Marla knew, that she was actually with Norton’s character, not Pitt’s, knowing that made these interactions even better and more surprising.
Watching Pitt and Bonham Carter dance in and out of scenes with Norton was masterful, and I was enthralled by the way her relationship with the men ultimately illustrated the plot twist to me. That, my friends, was unexpected.
I Didn’t See The Terrorist Group Coming
Now, I might have known about Fight Club because everyone talked about it. However, I had absolutely no idea it would turn into, essentially, a terrorist group. So, that led to a level of jaw-dropping that likely mirrored the one I could have had at the Tyler reveal.
5 Reasons Why I Think Fight Club Will Always Be David Fincher's Best Movie
I mean, talk about escalation. I knew this film made comments on the idea of toxic masculinity in a big, bold and violent way. However, going to the extent of starting a cult-like group in that dilapidated house and blowing up literal buildings was something I did not see coming at all.
Terror and rage were two of of the primary emotions I felt when this turn happened. I was overwhelmed by the toxic masculinity, and couldn’t quite believe the lows these men had fallen to. It was sad, horrifying, and lame of them. And I realize that’s what the movie wanted me to feel.
I knew Fight Club had been misunderstood by many when I sat down to watch it, and I knew it was a satire of sorts. That became abundantly clear when Project Mayhem came into the picture. It took the extremes of this movie to a whole new level, and it highlighted how these men had resorted to violent actions because they couldn’t cope with their lives in a healthy and productive way.
Overall, it was a fascinating, disturbing and surprising examination of toxic masculinity through a very extreme and jarring plotline that I didn’t see coming at all.
The Ending, Where He Shoots Himself And Kills Imaginary Tyler But Not Himself, Surprised Me
If you don’t know what’s coming with Fight Club, the scene where it’s revealed that the Narrator and Tyler are one and the same is by far the most unexpected part of the movie. However, if you know that’s going to happen without knowledge of anything else (which was my case), I’d say that the moment where Norton’s character essentially kills Pitt’s character is the biggest shocker.
Now, here’s what I saw: the Narrator got into a battle with Tyler, and then shot himself. We see the bullet go through the back of Tyler’s head, and the Narrator manages to survive, seemingly by shooting the gun in a way that made it so the bullet missed his brain. Then, the film ends with Marla and the Narrator standing hand-in-hand, looking out the window, watching the city explode.
It seems like the Narrator let Tyler go and banished that part of himself from his mind. Then, he faced the inevitable by watching the buildings explode, and he was forced to take in the consequences of his actions.
However, I also can’t shake how ambiguous this all was. Like, how did the Narrator survive? Can he actually kill a figment of his imagination? What happened with his relationship with Marla?
All this and more has kept me thinking about the wild ride that is Fight Club, despite knowing the plot twist before I started watching it. So, in the end, I’m very happy I finally sat down to watch this 1999 classic, because even though I knew the biggest twist, I was still very, very surprised by it.
