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“Fight Club” (1999), starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, is full of subtle details and mistakes.
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Fans may have missed Tyler’s cameo appearance in several scenes before the Narrator meets him.
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In fact, Norton punched Pitt during the film’s first fight scene, which made it into the final cut.
If you’re watching the DVD, the movie begins with a warning from Tyler.
After the anti-piracy warning on the “Fight Club” DVD, there is an additional false alert from Tyler.
Towards the end, it reads, “Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you’re alive,” which is the same advice he gives to the members of Project Mayhem in the film.
The Narrator uses different names for each of his support groups.
Marla seems to use her real name at every meeting she attends, but The Narrator always has a fake identity on his name tags.
Write to Cornelius for the testicular cancer group, Travis for the tuberculosis group, Lenny for the sickle cell meetings, and Rupert for the general cancer group.
Images of Tyler appear several times before his performance.
Before Tyler is introduced, he appears briefly each time The Narrator describes his insomnia.
Tyler first appears on screen in a single frame when the doctor tells the Narrator about the support groups, and then again during the first meeting. A commercial shows a slightly longer image of Tyler when the Narrator talks about waking up in a different place.
Moments before the two finally meet on a plane, Tyler is also seen along the airport walkway.
Some meetings occurred simultaneously, which should have made the split with Marla easier.
When The Narrator first sees the support group’s meeting calendar, there are several listings for the same time, such as Glorious Day Tuesday and Taking Flight.
This may have been a prop error, as Marla and The Narrator never mention this when they agree to split the schedule.
Marla’s phone number appears in other films.
Marla wrote the phone number 555-0134 on a piece of paper for The Narrator. This same phone number appears on a Polaroid photograph in “Memento” (2000).
The phone number can also be seen in other films, such as “Harriet the Spy” (1996).
The Narrator’s yin-yang coffee table survives the explosion of his condo.
When talking about decorating her apartment, The Narrator mentions her “smart” coffee table that is shaped like the yin-yang symbol.
That same coffee table is later shown to be the only recognizable piece that survived the explosion in their condo. Some legs are broken and there are some scorch marks, but it is mostly intact.
Tyler lives on Paper Street, a term that hints at the plot twist.
Tyler’s business card for Paper Street Soap Co. shows the company’s address as 537 Paper Street, which is the house he and the rest of Project Mayhem end up living in.
A paper street often refers to a road that does not actually exist but is on a map to help plan future roads. By referring to something non-existent, the direction can also hint at the fact that Tyler is not real.
Edward Norton reportedly punched Brad Pitt while they were filming their first fight scene.
Norton told Jimmy Fallon in 2019 that director David Fincher told him to throw a punch, which landed on Pitt’s ear.
Pitt’s genuine exclamation, “You punched me in the ear,” made it into the film’s final cut.
The blood on Tyler’s face disappears and reappears during the fight with Lou.
Lou, the owner of the bar where Tyler set up the first Fight Club, punches Tyler for using the basement space behind his back.
Tyler’s face is bloody after the second hit, but the blood disappears completely during a close-up scene. He reappears after the third hit.
The Narrator reacts as Tyler is injured.
The Narrator seems hurt every time Tyler is, which is another clue that they are the same person.
When Lou hits Tyler, the Narrator appears to move his head or body as if he is the one injured.
Starbucks appears throughout the film, but is notably missing during an important scene.
Starbucks cups are seen throughout the film. According to Screen Rant, Fincher even told Empire magazine that a Starbucks cup was seen in almost every scene in the film.
But when members of Project Mayhem destroy a coffee shop later in the film, their target is a Café Gratifico, not a Starbucks.
Bob’s eyes open and close as the group looks at his corpse.
Bob is shot and killed by police during his mission on Project Mayhem.
When they carry her body to the kitchen, her eyes are open, but when the camera pans back to her face a few seconds later, her eyes are closed.
The Narrator never gives his name when introducing himself.
The Narrator never reveals his name for most of the film. This sets up the plot twist that he and Tyler are the same person, as Marla later reveals that he introduced himself to her as Tyler Durden.
There are also moments in the film where the characters do not acknowledge Tyler’s presence, such as when a man pushes them on the bus but only apologizes to the Narrator.
The narrator gets out of the driver’s seat after the car accident.
Tyler intentionally crashes a car with the Narrator in the passenger seat and two Project Mayhem members in the back.
Although Tyler is driving, the Narrator is dragged out of the driver’s side after the accident, apparently implying that the Narrator was the one driving the car the entire time.
When Marla boards the bus, Project Mayhem is already there waiting to kidnap her.
The Narrator believes Marla can take a bus to safety until Tyler reveals that he had Project Mayhem members kidnap her.
Several men appear to stand up and begin to surround Marla as she boards the bus, showing that Tyler had apparently already planned her kidnapping.
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