Huge thank you for checking out the video. All the best for 2025 and thanks for your support. If you enjoyed this video then please subscribe to the channel th-cam.com/channels/q3hT5JPPKy87JGbDls_5BQ.html *Check out our Latest CLASSIC MOVIE BREAKDOWNS* *Gremlins* - th-cam.com/video/QYeB4nPO8BU/w-d-xo.html *Return Of The King* - th-cam.com/video/SG09yA-L1NE/w-d-xo.html *Spirited Away* - th-cam.com/video/98WomrMrsno/w-d-xo.html *Se7en* - th-cam.com/video/_QUH5xKqB5Y/w-d-xo.html *The Village* - th-cam.com/video/hZzqmfvVAmk/w-d-xo.html *Kingsman* - th-cam.com/video/A9znT45y7Ss/w-d-xo.html
The Fight Club website was hilarious. They had a "store" with all Tyler's clothes available to buy, but the site would just berate you for trying to copy him and buying merchandise if you added them to your cart.
This movie...man lemme tell you: I was in high school. I just went through a breakup and decided to watch something to take my mind off of it. I never WANTED to watch this movie; I assumed it was just a fighting movie. Like Rocky or something. But I have it a shot. I remember watching this that night and being blown away. No joke, I almost felt euphoric and physically dizzy at the end of the movie because of how much I enjoyed it, and because of how well it kept my mind occupied for 2 hours. I then called my best friend, made him watch it, and it was a movie that we talked about/quoted for decades to come. I know this is a "who gives a sh*t" comment, and if you read this far: thank you. Idk, this movie just holds a special place in my heart
similar vibes here. I remember seeing it the first time at a party and some kids were being laod/boasting and I assumed it was just some pro fight macho movie. I then gave it a try months later and it hit my just like you. I rem watching it at least 17 times and each time seeing further into it. I was genuinely disappointed after insistently asking friend to punch me when he didn't and also when some friends backed out of 'scaring their hands'. Yeah were all morons when crossing the 20's-30's crucible, guilty as charged. But just goes to show how this movie could say so many things. I also found it insulting that most people in seeing the movie wouldn't recognize it was far left philosophy (Chuck Palanuk clearly said in a intro to his book that it was inspired from a sociology book called "White Collar: The American Middle Classes, (1951)" by a certain C.W. Mills who was considered too left wing by left wing sociologists, mostly about white collars being the new proletariat ). Looking back at it today I also see hints of very recent talk about Dissociative Identity Disorder and shows that the movie even back then was ahead of times on regards of what popular culture considers schizophrenia - some recent utube vids suggest Marla is also another of 'Norton's' identities which reinforces the idea of him having DID and not schizophrenia. I guess this also makes the movie about gender switch. Fincher really made an amazing movie above and beyond what even some of the best movies do.
I've always thought that the scene where the narrator and Tyler are talking about their fathers reveals Tyler's origin. Tyler states that he is twenty-five. The narrator says ‘I'm a thirty-year-old boy’, and that his dad left when he was six. To me, this suggests that Tyler began to form in the narrator’s subconscious right around the time his dad left. Tyler is also the one who would want to fight his dad, something the narrator is incapable of admitting to himself (and we know that Tyler is all the things the narrator wants to be).
@bewmdogg He says 'now I'm 25, I make my yearly call again ...'. You could look at this in two ways - either he is 25 in the present, or he is saying he was 25 at the time he called his dad on that particular occasion. I go for the former because of the word 'now'.
Two things I’m surprised were missed… 1. The waiter at the restaurant who recommends against the clam chowder is Ed Kowalczyk a.k.a. the lead singer of the band Live. 2. The three detectives that try and castrate the narrator are named Detective Andrew, Detective Kevin, and Detective Walker after the writer Andrew Kevin Walker who had wrote the screenplay for Se7en.
Landline phones like that had what was called a ring back test. You call the phones own number then hang up and the phone then rings. When you pick it up there is dead air. That’s why the narrator wasn’t listening to the dial tone as he talks to Tyler. We used to do it with pay phones as kids and run away letting it ring until it disconnected the call or someone got curious and answered.
Fight Club is the first and only movie that encouraged me and my group of friends to break down a film (Easter Eggs, Hidden Details, Every Clue--the whole damn thing). We turned my living room into something that looked like it inspired a set from CSI. Good times! Fight Club remains one of the greatest films ever made.
Something I've thought about is how Marla's introduction to Sebastian immediately tells us she doesn’t know if any of the names he uses are real, which of course makes it even more reasonable that she wouldn't know or possibly even care whether Tyler Durden is his legal name. Killer breakdown as usual.
I love these classic movie breakdowns as opposed to the content online on all the subpar new releases. You make great videos regardless of what you're given but these movies have a special place in my heart.
Thank you. Yeah tbh I really hit a point of burnout with them where it was killing my enjoyment for film in general. It’s been nice just going back to films I love.
@@heavyspoilersis that why you passed off the Disney/Marvel breakdowns to MT? Don’t get me wrong I love his breakdowns but I noticed you don’t do them anymore.
Yeah pretty much. I view it now like if I’m not interested in it I’m just not gonna waste time with it. I think if I said I wasn’t covering a film like Wicked because I’m not interested in it people understand it a bit more but with it being stuff I absolutely loved at one point it’s a bit more difficult for people to understand why I’m not riding with it. I think marvel and Star Wars used to be events but now they’ve just been turned into ‘content’ for streaming services so it’s difficult for me to enjoy it when I’m trying to find a deeper meaning in stuff. MT still enjoys their shows so it’s easier to just give them to someone who has an interest. I’m hoping I’ll find that passion for them again but right now I’d rather just focus on stuff I feel excited to talk about.
@ to be honest I respect the hell out of you for the honesty. Most content creators wouldn’t be honest with the audience like that. It’s great that you didn’t try to just trudge through making content on something you’re not into because then it would reflect on your work. You chose to make quality content instead of simply just trying to chase the algorithm. Keep up the great work, me and countless other fans appreciate it.
When Tyler takes the wheel that's a reference to Multiple Personality Disorder as it's often referred (in movies at least) as one personality "behind the wheel" or the one in control at that time.
I definitely remember the old “cigarette burns” in movies. The movie where I remember noticing it for the first time was 8 Mile. Couldn’t unsee it after that
I used to fall asleep to this movie every night for a while in high school and would later on be blasted awake by the loudest DVD menu music ever and it scared me every time 😅 When my insomnia gets really bad i watch this now to help me feel tired 😴 usually works like a charm 😌 will always be in my top 3 faves 🖤
44:44 Another trivia brother, as the bus is pulling off, it goes back to the shot of the bus pulling off and silhouettes of the passengers grabbing Marla. I thought that was a cool detail. Well done on this breakdown my dude! Another banger.
I also watched all the commentary DVDs over 10 times each just because they put so much information and work into literally each frame with Tyler popping up for a second on screen in the beginning.
Yes!! I once watched the movie thrse times in row because I watched it, then the commentary with of Pitt and Norton with Fincher, then again for commentary by Carter
Is it on purpose, that Tyler is sitting by the window on the plane, so the Narrator turns and doesn't see Tyler because he is not real, but would in fact see himself reflected in the planes window...
I've read a ton of Palahniuk's books, and love most of them. However, I think Fight Club the movie is so much better than the book. This is one of my top 10 all-time favorite movies. So good. So many great movies in 1999. The mid-late 90s were peak.
I know this is late, I have read most of is books and they are the best collection of dark humor i've ever read, and that's the best humor. I know they made a bones movie, but that wasn't as successful. What they did with fight club was one of a kind
@anubusx God no, money would be useless for a long time and this crippling society and if something wasn't set in place quickly a lot of people will start killing each other for food, gas, anything they need to survive. Of course when I was young and this movie came out I just fell in love with the idea of it, I knew then people would become violent but thought it would be fun but now I am old and want to build something instead of destroy something. There is so much commentary on modern society in this book and movie i could talk about it for hours. I probably seen this movie a couple hundred times and watched all the DVDs with the actor or director commentary many times. I think we all were masks in society to fit in and make other people comfortable and rarely feel the mask can be removed
@anubusx and maybe if the goal was just wipping out credit card debt or just all types of debt, it would have been possible when the movie came out but I am sure they have so many redundancy in debt collections because it is important. So if your question if he could just eliminate debt maybe, but the remnants of society would suffer a great cost, because, like in the movie, we evolved from violent creatures all killing for resources, that is our base nature. I have a very low cynical view of people in society.
@anubusx i am interested in your thoughts. I like to hear different perspectives, i am still not sure if you asked only if Tyler could destroy the debt industry or if you are asking if it would lead to his utopia? Also, I never put my name online so my alias is Tyler Durdan on everything. I figure the internet is mostly people building a fake life they want people to see them as, just like Tyler was for the Narratator. I used to not want anything linked to me, kind of off the Grid type, I didn't have a cell phone from 2007 to 2015 and only recently got a smart phone, but remaining anonymous on the internet is impossible today.
At 43:44, the waiter is Ed Kowalczyk, who is the lead singer of the band Live. In the same year, they released an album titled "The Distance to Here," which includes a song called "We Walk in the Dream." The opening line of this song is "I was wrong/We are not these bodies alone/In a dream with a mind of its own." This may seem like a stretch, but I feel it’s not. If you listen to the entire song, it feels as if the narrator is singing about actually exorcising Tyler to the point where he is now fine with his new life.
At 44:43 The cop in suspenders is a little known actor from the 80’s Dan Ackroyd. He’s never been a lead in any major motion pictures, but still a great guy from what I’ve heard.
Definitely in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. I'm so old I had this on VHS! Watched it, jaw drop, then REWOUND THE TAPE (😂😂😂) and watched it again. It's got so many good lines too. I love Marla's line, "you're the worst thing that's ever happened to me." As she gets on the bus.❤
0:32 - right after this they have the car crash, Ed Norton was on the passenger side of the car during the whole monologue and after the crash he gets out of the drivers side.
In 2016 Chuck Palahniuk released a collection of short stories that has a prelude to Fight Club in it called "Expedition"... The collection is called "Make Something Up"
I LOVE Fight Club! It's one of those movies you can enjoy even if you don't pick up on its social commentary. Tyler, The Narrator, the humor, the escalation in the story it's all ridiculously captivating. Anyone know if Fight Club the videogame was able to recapture the magic of this masterpiece?
Saw this in the theater, and I remember seeing the flash frames of Tyler, and asking my date "did you see that too?" and I thought for just a moment that I was genuinely losing my mind
My friend got a Kidney Transplant. He never knew who it was from so we named that guy Robert Paulson. Now when he walks in the room we say, "His Name Was Robert Paulson!"
If I had to name one movie as my favorite of all time Fight Club would have to be it. It blew me away in theaters when it released and I have watched it through at least 30 times since then. I still didn't catch everything you showed in this video. I did not even know there were graphic novels for Fight Club 2 and 3 but I paused the video and ordered them immediately before finishing. Thanks for the analysis, I really enjoyed the insights.
45:57 when Tyler is vanquished and whispers "What's that smell?" Pitt coincidently blows a smoke ring. According to the commentary this was coincidental and the only time Pitt had ever done that.
Fight Club is one of my favorite movies of all time. I remember watching this in the theater and after the twist with Tyler and it fades to black. I remember one guy in the theater yelling WTF! Thank you and MT for all the entertaining breakdowns. Cheers.
That was me. I yelled out "WHAT THE FUCK!?" on the theater Kidding. I barely got to see movies in theaters in the 90s but I did almost yell WTF in my living room at that moment. Held back so my parents wouldn't do an angel face on me
My best friend and I saw this together in high school. We both worked at the movie theater as well so we saw a lot of films. But, this one was so different. I remember the feeling walking out of the theater. Everything felt weird and eerie, but incredible at the same time. It stuck with both of us for a long time. We ended up falling in love around that time and about 25 years later we're still having fun. This movie will always be special to me.
Okay, so, I may not be the world’s most consistent viewer, but has anyone else noticed that Paul has gotten significantly better looking? Dare I say-hot? The tattoos, the outfits, the hair… it’s all working. If you read this; good for you.
Another excellent breakdown. Thank you & great work. Keep it up, right up. You missed pointing out Bob's trousers falling down when they all leave the Pressman Hotel. It's a goof so not essential, but funny given the scene it follows. I love F*ght Cl*b, it's been in my top 5 films since I first saw it in the cinema in '99, there are so many details embedded in it, I still notice different things on my yearly rewatch. As mentioned in another comment, the DVD Commentary by Fincher, Pitt, Norton and occasionally Bonham Carter is excellent. You can tell they all enjoyed making the film and working together. Also there's a great multi-part podcast about the book, film and their impact & legacy by 'The Big Hit Show' that's worth checking out. Finally, the soundtrack is excellent, kudos to the Dust Brothers. "I am Jack's unread TH-cam Comment..."
The scene where Sebastian is looking at all the folders with the address labels on them, angel face covers up one of them with his hand. The one covered says Drury Ave. This may be a combination of things referencing the children's nursery rhyme as the Muffin Man lives on Drury Lane. After beating Angel Face, Tyler asks what happened and the narrator reasons "I wanted to destroy something beautiful." This scene is also the first time we see the aftermath of that fight and how disfigured Angel Face is. The destroyed beauty and covering of a childhood nursery rhyme can't be mere coincidence in my opinion.
EDIT: "A Place to Be Somebody" is a slogan on many signs in Delaware. Many major credit card companies have offices in the city the movie takes place in, just like in real-life Delaware.
Originally watched this on DVD at an isolated beach house in Sicily. Fell asleep before the third act on the couch. Watched to completion over breakfast Had to watch the whole moviee start to finish. Great works. From page to screen
The 2 disc DVD version has an FBI warning that shows for a good 20 seconds before it glitches and shows that the warning is completely written by Tyler himself.
13:45 in getting more and more convinced that nobody has actually seen Titanic, because that scene makes it clear it has nothing to do with Jack not fitting on the makeshift raft, but because when he tries to climb on, it FLIPS OVER and throws them both in the water.
Someone in the mix here who doesn't get enough credit is Jim Uhls, the screenwriter. He only has this and Jumper to his name but if you read the screenplay you'll see he really knocked it out of the park. Such a good adaptation, keeping the core but stripping it down while also adding to it.
One of my all time favorite movies. My friend told me to buy when I was 13. It literally changed how I looked at the world. Such a great flick and I couldn't wait for Steven Spoils-berg to break it down!
When I watched this movie for the first time, I actually cried! I had never seen anything like it before! I’ve cried at movies, but never like this! I’ve wanted to show it to my friends for a while, and although I haven’t had a chance yet, I am super excited to see what they have to say!
Love these videos! Wild theory: Marla is also in Sebastian’s head. She and Tyler dress the same. They use the same turns of phrase. When Sebastian tries to get rid of her, she magically reappears, just like when he tries to get rid of Tyler. The evidence for her not being there is her smoking. Nobody at any of the support groups say anything about the smoking. They don’t even seem to react to it. They do react to Sebastian raising his voice, though. Kind of like the guys in the parking lot reacting to Sebastian punching himself.
I've always enjoyed how the assignment was to fight a stranger and the Narrator fights himself. Also, the waiter who advises against the clam chowder is portrayed by the singer of Live, Ed Kowalczyk!
Holy shit man. This is one of my favourite movies and you have opened my eyes to so many of the subliminal aspects even though I've seen it a thousand times. Exceptional at what you do mate. You truly have found your calling man. Gav (Briggs)
Thanks, Paul! An astounding movie based on an astounding book, and strangely enough I've just rewatched it again for the first time again in _years_ -- and _wow_ it still has its power all these years later. It really hasn't aged at all. It's obviously taking place a while back, but that's just so evocative.
I still remember walking out of the theater with that song playing, and being kinda awestruck. I was like 17ish, right on the cusp of making the decision to "conform" or not. Im not giving this film credit, but I chose not to and was already leaning that way at the time, it may have helped. Later in life, after startingnover multible times already, and becoming a father, I decided to kinda write my "self"/ principles off, and focus on being a provider....of money. It is hard to be a provider of much else besides money when you are. I ended up losing years of my Kid's life when it mattered most, by finally doing "what I was supoded to". I sheded my shame as I turned my back on my principals, held my nose, and became not only complicit in what I think makes life so sad for so many, I was actively taking part in it. I gave myself over to it, lost a lot of respect for myself, and was still not seen as good enough(aka didnt make enough money even though I was over my demographic's average income by a lot), so I was never treated any better, in fact I was treated worse. I think it was because I obviously was willing to bend over to meet some approval I would never receive, just like almost everyone else...who are always exploited. Eventually, after making myself one of the most valuable employees, I was the first to be furloughed(fancy way of exsausting your UI while making sure their rate doesnt go up) since I made more than the others. All that self betrayal, for nothing, while any headway I had made money wise was erased just within the next few months of readjusting. After that, I resolved to never do that again. I am poor, but I will never miss another min of whats left of my kids childhood to make someone elese a bunch of money in return for MAYBE keeping my job a little longer if it serves them, and getting MAYBE 0.0001% of the profit I made for them. I walked away from society mostly. I never really fit in anyway and I am done trying. Its not worth it. If genericness and subjection to corporate feudalism is the price for a very poor chance at "making it", im ok over here. end /commrant\;
I rented this movie when it’s first came out on video. Within the first few minutes my brother walked into the room, stood there for a minute then being the jerk he was told me how it ended. I was pissed at first but I got over it and watch it anyway. He thought he ruined it for me but joke was on him. It helped me see a lot of the things I wouldn’t have noticed on my first watch. to me it feels like I skipped my first viewing and went straight to the second. Still turned out to be one of my favourites and I watch at least once a year.
19801 is the zip code for Wilmington, Delaware; where the signs say “A place to be someone”. Also, the location (or was the location) of all of the headquarters of the credit card banks. Great insight and thoughts on the meaning of the existential/psychological parts! Funny that it was definitely set in a real city here in the States.
Thanks for this! I watched this in ‘99 when it first came out and I don’t think I quite “got it” or truly appreciated it back then. I’m down to revisit with a fresh pair of old eyes. Solid work Heavy Spoilers gang! Cheers ✌🏽
it came out when i first started college. i must have watched the movie 6 or 7 times in the student movie theater. right after accepting free samples of this hip new corporate handout - REDBULL!!
Its all connected... A few years after watching this movie, I was listening to a song called 'Dogma' by the band KMFDM. Their lyrics are VERY similar to the speeches in Fight Club, so I looked it up. The song was released on their album XTORT on June 25, 1996. After watching this breakdown, learned about the author of the book, says the book was published on August 17, 1996. Anyone who likes the movie will like the song too! Wonder if there are more connections...
Awesome break down of one of the greatest (and still underrated/under discussed) films there has ever been How about we have Zodiac to top off Fincher’s best 3 films 😉
I love this movie. The cinematography is fantastic, the acting is superb, the story is twisty and surprising and mostly original. HOWEVER- if anyone (usually men but not always) says that their favorite character or idol is Tyler Durden- *_RUN_* .
When I was 16 I worked as an Usher in the movies. I was very interested in the projection booth and after hours I would hang there with the operator. He taught me how to switch projectors. On Saturdays they would show old B movies that had been spliced and spliced so many times that there were squibs all over them that had not been removed. After the showing the operator would let me go through the films and paint out the old squibs. Squibs is what we used to call what F.C. called cigarette burns. The operator told me not everyone called them squibs.
Best film ive ever seen at the cinema i never saw the frames of tyler until the dvd release. se7en and big lebowski great era in movies thanks for posting x
Also, when the bus Marla is on takes off, you can see a bunch of guys stand up and surround her inside. That's how she was apprehended because they were all obviously in the Fight Club cult as well going on Tyler's orders to keep her safe from the explosions.
Watched this film in the theater three times. One of the best movies of the 90’s. When Marla gets on the bus, as it’s pulling away, you can see a group of people getting up from their seats and approaching her. Just to make her abduction more clear when it comes around to the end.
Hi Paul, quick request from my other half, please breakdown Inglorious Basterds, im taking her through all my favourite classics. We did this last weekend, and Alien tonight!
I was aware of Chuck Palahniuk before the "Fight Club" film via some writing blog or 'what not' but I never put the two together until after seeing it - I'd never read it and didn't put the two together. I did, however, buy "Survivor" which came out a year or so later and that tied everything together for me. After that I bought every book he put out. I've loved them all, but in all honesty, "Fight Club" is probably his best work.
I remember seeing this movie in theaters. I, then, remember hanging out in the movie theater waiting until the next showing, and immediately watching it again…it’s in the top 3 of my favorite movies of all time. Thank you for this. Chances are you’re not going to enlighten me on anything I wasn’t privy to before, but…thank you nonetheless I’m going to watch it all the same
One thing I just noticed during your breakdown is that the yin yang coffee table is called Fruktbar. I think this may be a play on the german word Furchtbar which essentially translates to "awful/terrible". I suspect the other item names are similar plays on words from other languages, though I didn't catch any.
20:00 Tyler's thumb isn't covering any additional nunbers. American zip codes only have 5 numbers occasionally with 4 digit extensions, but not 6. His boss's business card is a typo
Huge thank you for checking out the video. All the best for 2025 and thanks for your support. If you enjoyed this video then please subscribe to the channel th-cam.com/channels/q3hT5JPPKy87JGbDls_5BQ.html
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@@heavyspoilers thank you for all you do! Seriously; these film breakdowns are so much fun! Thanks again Paul & happy New Year!! 🙏🏼❤️
@@kingdaddygoat8782much appreciated mate
@@heavyspoilers YOU are much appreciated sir! Thanks for the countless laughs & smiles you’ve put on our faces!
❤
SO THIS MOVIES IS A GAY METAPHORE?
The Fight Club website was hilarious. They had a "store" with all Tyler's clothes available to buy, but the site would just berate you for trying to copy him and buying merchandise if you added them to your cart.
Searching for his hustler shirt is how I found asos (as seen on screen)
You're not your fkn khakis
He had the most badass clothing in that movie
@@iwanvickery6547DUDE THIS IS A LEGENDARY SHIRT
😆
This movie...man lemme tell you: I was in high school. I just went through a breakup and decided to watch something to take my mind off of it.
I never WANTED to watch this movie; I assumed it was just a fighting movie. Like Rocky or something. But I have it a shot.
I remember watching this that night and being blown away. No joke, I almost felt euphoric and physically dizzy at the end of the movie because of how much I enjoyed it, and because of how well it kept my mind occupied for 2 hours.
I then called my best friend, made him watch it, and it was a movie that we talked about/quoted for decades to come.
I know this is a "who gives a sh*t" comment, and if you read this far: thank you. Idk, this movie just holds a special place in my heart
Who gives a sh*t? 🖤
similar vibes here. I remember seeing it the first time at a party and some kids were being laod/boasting and I assumed it was just some pro fight macho movie. I then gave it a try months later and it hit my just like you. I rem watching it at least 17 times and each time seeing further into it. I was genuinely disappointed after insistently asking friend to punch me when he didn't and also when some friends backed out of 'scaring their hands'. Yeah were all morons when crossing the 20's-30's crucible, guilty as charged. But just goes to show how this movie could say so many things. I also found it insulting that most people in seeing the movie wouldn't recognize it was far left philosophy (Chuck Palanuk clearly said in a intro to his book that it was inspired from a sociology book called "White Collar: The American Middle Classes, (1951)" by a certain C.W. Mills who was considered too left wing by left wing sociologists, mostly about white collars being the new proletariat ). Looking back at it today I also see hints of very recent talk about Dissociative Identity Disorder and shows that the movie even back then was ahead of times on regards of what popular culture considers schizophrenia - some recent utube vids suggest Marla is also another of 'Norton's' identities which reinforces the idea of him having DID and not schizophrenia. I guess this also makes the movie about gender switch. Fincher really made an amazing movie above and beyond what even some of the best movies do.
I started franchises and all
Same thing tho my movie was The dark Knight
its me rn
I've always thought that the scene where the narrator and Tyler are talking about their fathers reveals Tyler's origin. Tyler states that he is twenty-five. The narrator says ‘I'm a thirty-year-old boy’, and that his dad left when he was six. To me, this suggests that Tyler began to form in the narrator’s subconscious right around the time his dad left. Tyler is also the one who would want to fight his dad, something the narrator is incapable of admitting to himself (and we know that Tyler is all the things the narrator wants to be).
That’s a great theory right there!
That's a good bit of reasoning there, shame you didn't make this video, then I may have liked it, instead of smashing the thumbs down button.
Except Tyler never says he is 25.
@bewmdogg He says 'now I'm 25, I make my yearly call again ...'. You could look at this in two ways - either he is 25 in the present, or he is saying he was 25 at the time he called his dad on that particular occasion. I go for the former because of the word 'now'.
Two things I’m surprised were missed…
1. The waiter at the restaurant who recommends against the clam chowder is Ed Kowalczyk a.k.a. the lead singer of the band Live.
2. The three detectives that try and castrate the narrator are named Detective Andrew, Detective Kevin, and Detective Walker after the writer Andrew Kevin Walker who had wrote the screenplay for Se7en.
Landline phones like that had what was called a ring back test. You call the phones own number then hang up and the phone then rings. When you pick it up there is dead air. That’s why the narrator wasn’t listening to the dial tone as he talks to Tyler. We used to do it with pay phones as kids and run away letting it ring until it disconnected the call or someone got curious and answered.
Fight Club is the first and only movie that encouraged me and my group of friends to break down a film (Easter Eggs, Hidden Details, Every Clue--the whole damn thing). We turned my living room into something that looked like it inspired a set from CSI. Good times! Fight Club remains one of the greatest films ever made.
Something I've thought about is how Marla's introduction to Sebastian immediately tells us she doesn’t know if any of the names he uses are real, which of course makes it even more reasonable that she wouldn't know or possibly even care whether Tyler Durden is his legal name.
Killer breakdown as usual.
I love these classic movie breakdowns as opposed to the content online on all the subpar new releases. You make great videos regardless of what you're given but these movies have a special place in my heart.
Thank you. Yeah tbh I really hit a point of burnout with them where it was killing my enjoyment for film in general. It’s been nice just going back to films I love.
@@heavyspoilersis that why you passed off the Disney/Marvel breakdowns to MT? Don’t get me wrong I love his breakdowns but I noticed you don’t do them anymore.
Yeah pretty much. I view it now like if I’m not interested in it I’m just not gonna waste time with it. I think if I said I wasn’t covering a film like Wicked because I’m not interested in it people understand it a bit more but with it being stuff I absolutely loved at one point it’s a bit more difficult for people to understand why I’m not riding with it. I think marvel and Star Wars used to be events but now they’ve just been turned into ‘content’ for streaming services so it’s difficult for me to enjoy it when I’m trying to find a deeper meaning in stuff. MT still enjoys their shows so it’s easier to just give them to someone who has an interest. I’m hoping I’ll find that passion for them again but right now I’d rather just focus on stuff I feel excited to talk about.
@ to be honest I respect the hell out of you for the honesty. Most content creators wouldn’t be honest with the audience like that. It’s great that you didn’t try to just trudge through making content on something you’re not into because then it would reflect on your work. You chose to make quality content instead of simply just trying to chase the algorithm.
Keep up the great work, me and countless other fans appreciate it.
I respect your decision. Wouldn't want you to have to fake your enthusiasm or make your job feel less fulfilling just to keep up with that algorithm.
The Monty Pyrhon and The Holy Grail DVD starts with an entirely different movie for a couple of minutes before changing over to the correct movie.
And the hard of hearing button kills me on that DVD
It’s called “Dentist on the Job” and it’s on youtube, it’s like 2 minutes of fake opening credits and guys loading boxes of toothpaste onto a truck
The man hired to write the M00SE has been fired
It also had subtitles for Shakespeare's henry the 6th
When Tyler takes the wheel that's a reference to Multiple Personality Disorder as it's often referred (in movies at least) as one personality "behind the wheel" or the one in control at that time.
I definitely remember the old “cigarette burns” in movies. The movie where I remember noticing it for the first time was 8 Mile. Couldn’t unsee it after that
I used to fall asleep to this movie every night for a while in high school and would later on be blasted awake by the loudest DVD menu music ever and it scared me every time 😅
When my insomnia gets really bad i watch this now to help me feel tired 😴 usually works like a charm 😌 will always be in my top 3 faves 🖤
Wild that a movie about insomnia is the cure for insomnia
@heavyspoilers seeing how tired he is, makes me sleepy 😴 🥱
@@VelvetMetal. It's like the yawning effect.
The soundtrack still works today
It was this and spawn for me lol. Used to fall asleep and wake up in the middle disoriented
44:44 Another trivia brother, as the bus is pulling off, it goes back to the shot of the bus pulling off and silhouettes of the passengers grabbing Marla. I thought that was a cool detail. Well done on this breakdown my dude! Another banger.
great catch
The DVD commentary is the best and funniest movie commentary I have experienced, with both Pitt, Norton and Fincher.
I also watched all the commentary DVDs over 10 times each just because they put so much information and work into literally each frame with Tyler popping up for a second on screen in the beginning.
I recommend the dvd commentary for the movie Tropic Thunder. Also hilarious
Yes!! I once watched the movie thrse times in row because I watched it, then the commentary with of Pitt and Norton with Fincher, then again for commentary by Carter
‘Both’
We don't talk about Screen Crush !
Paul is the Tyler Durden projection for Ryan.
Is it on purpose, that Tyler is sitting by the window on the plane, so the Narrator turns and doesn't see Tyler because he is not real, but would in fact see himself reflected in the planes window...
I need the Usual Suspects breakdown... Shawshank Redemption... A few others. Keep up the good work.
Please do Gone Girl next. Another Fincher movie that is so fun to watch multiple times.
I've read a ton of Palahniuk's books, and love most of them. However, I think Fight Club the movie is so much better than the book. This is one of my top 10 all-time favorite movies. So good.
So many great movies in 1999. The mid-late 90s were peak.
I know this is late, I have read most of is books and they are the best collection of dark humor i've ever read, and that's the best humor. I know they made a bones movie, but that wasn't as successful.
What they did with fight club was one of a kind
Would Tyler's plan to wipe out credit card debt work?
@anubusx God no, money would be useless for a long time and this crippling society and if something wasn't set in place quickly a lot of people will start killing each other for food, gas, anything they need to survive. Of course when I was young and this movie came out I just fell in love with the idea of it, I knew then people would become violent but thought it would be fun but now I am old and want to build something instead of destroy something. There is so much commentary on modern society in this book and movie i could talk about it for hours. I probably seen this movie a couple hundred times and watched all the DVDs with the actor or director commentary many times. I think we all were masks in society to fit in and make other people comfortable and rarely feel the mask can be removed
@anubusx and maybe if the goal was just wipping out credit card debt or just all types of debt, it would have been possible when the movie came out but I am sure they have so many redundancy in debt collections because it is important. So if your question if he could just eliminate debt maybe, but the remnants of society would suffer a great cost, because, like in the movie, we evolved from violent creatures all killing for resources, that is our base nature. I have a very low cynical view of people in society.
@anubusx i am interested in your thoughts. I like to hear different perspectives, i am still not sure if you asked only if Tyler could destroy the debt industry or if you are asking if it would lead to his utopia? Also, I never put my name online so my alias is Tyler Durdan on everything. I figure the internet is mostly people building a fake life they want people to see them as, just like Tyler was for the Narratator. I used to not want anything linked to me, kind of off the Grid type, I didn't have a cell phone from 2007 to 2015 and only recently got a smart phone, but remaining anonymous on the internet is impossible today.
At 43:44, the waiter is Ed Kowalczyk, who is the lead singer of the band Live. In the same year, they released an album titled "The Distance to Here," which includes a song called "We Walk in the Dream." The opening line of this song is "I was wrong/We are not these bodies alone/In a dream with a mind of its own." This may seem like a stretch, but I feel it’s not. If you listen to the entire song, it feels as if the narrator is singing about actually exorcising Tyler to the point where he is now fine with his new life.
oh nice, thats an amazing bit of trivia
At 44:43 The cop in suspenders is a little known actor from the 80’s Dan Ackroyd. He’s never been a lead in any major motion pictures, but still a great guy from what I’ve heard.
@@davemccage7918 u made me look. lol
@@davemccage7918dude, thats not dan acyroyd lol
I KNEW HE LOOKED FAMILIAR!
Definitely in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. I'm so old I had this on VHS! Watched it, jaw drop, then REWOUND THE TAPE (😂😂😂) and watched it again. It's got so many good lines too. I love Marla's line, "you're the worst thing that's ever happened to me." As she gets on the bus.❤
I don’t hit the like button when I’m asked to, but I do every time you find a way to work it into your script.
0:32 - right after this they have the car crash, Ed Norton was on the passenger side of the car during the whole monologue and after the crash he gets out of the drivers side.
Maybe watch the video before commenting?
In 2016 Chuck Palahniuk released a collection of short stories that has a prelude to Fight Club in it called "Expedition"... The collection is called "Make Something Up"
Love this! Thank you! When you talk about Bob you mention “the actor” but he’s not just any actor… That’s Meatloaf lol
One of the best breakdowns of any film I’ve ever seen. Well done, mates.
probably my fave Bonham Carter movie - happy 2025 bro, please keep the goods coming for all of us this year. we appreciate you
No doubt, thanks for the support
I LOVE Fight Club! It's one of those movies you can enjoy even if you don't pick up on its social commentary. Tyler, The Narrator, the humor, the escalation in the story it's all ridiculously captivating. Anyone know if Fight Club the videogame was able to recapture the magic of this masterpiece?
I'm so glad you didn't follow the first rule of fight club and posted this!
haha thank you
NO FIGHT CLUB!!!!!!😂😂😂😂
But you all said.. 😅
Or the 2nd rule.
Saw this in the theater, and I remember seeing the flash frames of Tyler, and asking my date "did you see that too?" and I thought for just a moment that I was genuinely losing my mind
My friend got a Kidney Transplant. He never knew who it was from so we named that guy Robert Paulson. Now when he walks in the room we say, "His Name Was Robert Paulson!"
If I had to name one movie as my favorite of all time Fight Club would have to be it. It blew me away in theaters when it released and I have watched it through at least 30 times since then. I still didn't catch everything you showed in this video. I did not even know there were graphic novels for Fight Club 2 and 3 but I paused the video and ordered them immediately before finishing. Thanks for the analysis, I really enjoyed the insights.
45:57 when Tyler is vanquished and whispers "What's that smell?" Pitt coincidently blows a smoke ring. According to the commentary this was coincidental and the only time Pitt had ever done that.
Fight Club is one of my favorite movies of all time. I remember watching this in the theater and after the twist with Tyler and it fades to black. I remember one guy in the theater yelling WTF! Thank you and MT for all the entertaining breakdowns. Cheers.
That was me. I yelled out "WHAT THE FUCK!?" on the theater
Kidding. I barely got to see movies in theaters in the 90s but I did almost yell WTF in my living room at that moment. Held back so my parents wouldn't do an angel face on me
My best friend and I saw this together in high school. We both worked at the movie theater as well so we saw a lot of films. But, this one was so different. I remember the feeling walking out of the theater. Everything felt weird and eerie, but incredible at the same time. It stuck with both of us for a long time. We ended up falling in love around that time and about 25 years later we're still having fun. This movie will always be special to me.
Okay, so, I may not be the world’s most consistent viewer, but has anyone else noticed that Paul has gotten significantly better looking? Dare I say-hot? The tattoos, the outfits, the hair… it’s all working. If you read this; good for you.
So glad you went over this again. One of my favorite movies ever ❤❤❤❤❤
Another excellent breakdown. Thank you & great work. Keep it up, right up.
You missed pointing out Bob's trousers falling down when they all leave the Pressman Hotel. It's a goof so not essential, but funny given the scene it follows.
I love F*ght Cl*b, it's been in my top 5 films since I first saw it in the cinema in '99, there are so many details embedded in it, I still notice different things on my yearly rewatch. As mentioned in another comment, the DVD Commentary by Fincher, Pitt, Norton and occasionally Bonham Carter is excellent. You can tell they all enjoyed making the film and working together. Also there's a great multi-part podcast about the book, film and their impact & legacy by 'The Big Hit Show' that's worth checking out. Finally, the soundtrack is excellent, kudos to the Dust Brothers.
"I am Jack's unread TH-cam Comment..."
Great way to start my Saturday!
The scene where Sebastian is looking at all the folders with the address labels on them, angel face covers up one of them with his hand. The one covered says Drury Ave. This may be a combination of things referencing the children's nursery rhyme as the Muffin Man lives on Drury Lane. After beating Angel Face, Tyler asks what happened and the narrator reasons "I wanted to destroy something beautiful." This scene is also the first time we see the aftermath of that fight and how disfigured Angel Face is. The destroyed beauty and covering of a childhood nursery rhyme can't be mere coincidence in my opinion.
Appreciate all of the effort for the details. Thank you! Really enjoying the channel
Thank you
@ absolutely
EDIT: "A Place to Be Somebody" is a slogan on many signs in Delaware. Many major credit card companies have offices in the city the movie takes place in, just like in real-life Delaware.
"The first state" is the motto of DE. The book takes place in Wilmington
@@The_ScapeGoat Thank you. I should have said "It's a slogan on signs all over Delaware."
No shit!? I never noticed that was the preacher that joined the fight club! Great video, reminds me I'm about due for a re-watch.
The easter egg with the beer mug is soooo good!!!
Great choice today Paul! Its so great to watch your breakdowns and remember all the details! Happy late Boxing Day!
thank you mate, hope you had a good christmas
What a great way to start the week! Thanks for the banger breakdown mate
Originally watched this on DVD at an isolated beach house in Sicily. Fell asleep before the third act on the couch. Watched to completion over breakfast Had to watch the whole moviee start to finish.
Great works. From page to screen
The 2 disc DVD version has an FBI warning that shows for a good 20 seconds before it glitches and shows that the warning is completely written by Tyler himself.
Yup, Paul showed it
I have this one
13:45 in getting more and more convinced that nobody has actually seen Titanic, because that scene makes it clear it has nothing to do with Jack not fitting on the makeshift raft, but because when he tries to climb on, it FLIPS OVER and throws them both in the water.
Someone in the mix here who doesn't get enough credit is Jim Uhls, the screenwriter.
He only has this and Jumper to his name but if you read the screenplay you'll see he really knocked it out of the park.
Such a good adaptation, keeping the core but stripping it down while also adding to it.
Good breakdown. Now re-do it on the basis that Marla is also a split personality.
Who do the Project Mayhem guys drag upstairs at the end of the film then?
Yes!
She is not tho. The narrator & Marla even have a kid later on.
I finally convinced my mom to watch this film about a month ago. I did NOT warn her about the last frame. Worth it for her shout of surprise.
I watched this in theaters just before my local theater closed. Rewatching again now after this beautiful breakdown
One of my all time favorite movies. My friend told me to buy when I was 13. It literally changed how I looked at the world. Such a great flick and I couldn't wait for Steven Spoils-berg to break it down!
When I watched this movie for the first time, I actually cried! I had never seen anything like it before! I’ve cried at movies, but never like this! I’ve wanted to show it to my friends for a while, and although I haven’t had a chance yet, I am super excited to see what they have to say!
Great video! 🤜
i was watching just yesterday the old breakdown on the channel. this is awesome. ty ❤️
Love these videos!
Wild theory: Marla is also in Sebastian’s head. She and Tyler dress the same. They use the same turns of phrase. When Sebastian tries to get rid of her, she magically reappears, just like when he tries to get rid of Tyler.
The evidence for her not being there is her smoking. Nobody at any of the support groups say anything about the smoking. They don’t even seem to react to it. They do react to Sebastian raising his voice, though. Kind of like the guys in the parking lot reacting to Sebastian punching himself.
This is the breakdown I've searched for in the last couple years. I never saw it until then and felt like I missed out on the discussion.
I've always enjoyed how the assignment was to fight a stranger and the Narrator fights himself. Also, the waiter who advises against the clam chowder is portrayed by the singer of Live, Ed Kowalczyk!
Holy shit man. This is one of my favourite movies and you have opened my eyes to so many of the subliminal aspects even though I've seen it a thousand times. Exceptional at what you do mate. You truly have found your calling man. Gav (Briggs)
Thanks, Paul! An astounding movie based on an astounding book, and strangely enough I've just rewatched it again for the first time again in _years_ -- and _wow_ it still has its power all these years later. It really hasn't aged at all. It's obviously taking place a while back, but that's just so evocative.
I would love to see you breakdown "The Number 23"..
his name is robert paulson
his name is Robert Paulson
@@mattgilbert7347 His name is Robert Paulson
His name ist Robert Paulson
Very well done. Bravo!😁👍
I love how the ending scene plays Where’s My Mind?
Great analysis mate!
Really appreciate your channel. Awesome reviews, and fantastic content. Thanks so much! 😊🙌👏
thank you mate
@ All the best 🌟 Happy New Year!
Looking forward to the next Vid!
Happy New Year Paul.
Thank you.
I still remember walking out of the theater with that song playing, and being kinda awestruck. I was like 17ish, right on the cusp of making the decision to "conform" or not. Im not giving this film credit, but I chose not to and was already leaning that way at the time, it may have helped. Later in life, after startingnover multible times already, and becoming a father, I decided to kinda write my "self"/ principles off, and focus on being a provider....of money. It is hard to be a provider of much else besides money when you are. I ended up losing years of my Kid's life when it mattered most, by finally doing "what I was supoded to". I sheded my shame as I turned my back on my principals, held my nose, and became not only complicit in what I think makes life so sad for so many, I was actively taking part in it. I gave myself over to it, lost a lot of respect for myself, and was still not seen as good enough(aka didnt make enough money even though I was over my demographic's average income by a lot), so I was never treated any better, in fact I was treated worse. I think it was because I obviously was willing to bend over to meet some approval I would never receive, just like almost everyone else...who are always exploited. Eventually, after making myself one of the most valuable employees, I was the first to be furloughed(fancy way of exsausting your UI while making sure their rate doesnt go up) since I made more than the others. All that self betrayal, for nothing, while any headway I had made money wise was erased just within the next few months of readjusting. After that, I resolved to never do that again. I am poor, but I will never miss another min of whats left of my kids childhood to make someone elese a bunch of money in return for MAYBE keeping my job a little longer if it serves them, and getting MAYBE 0.0001% of the profit I made for them. I walked away from society mostly. I never really fit in anyway and I am done trying. Its not worth it. If genericness and subjection to corporate feudalism is the price for a very poor chance at "making it", im ok over here.
end /commrant\;
That Reel Big Fish inclusion was masterful. Side note: I know every word to ever song on that album. It was the soundtrack of my youth.
Amazing break down. Loved it.
I rented this movie when it’s first came out on video. Within the first few minutes my brother walked into the room, stood there for a minute then being the jerk he was told me how it ended. I was pissed at first but I got over it and watch it anyway. He thought he ruined it for me but joke was on him. It helped me see a lot of the things I wouldn’t have noticed on my first watch. to me it feels like I skipped my first viewing and went straight to the second. Still turned out to be one of my favourites and I watch at least once a year.
19801 is the zip code for Wilmington, Delaware; where the signs say “A place to be someone”. Also, the location (or was the location) of all of the headquarters of the credit card banks. Great insight and thoughts on the meaning of the existential/psychological parts! Funny that it was definitely set in a real city here in the States.
Thanks for this! I watched this in ‘99 when it first came out and I don’t think I quite “got it” or truly appreciated it back then. I’m down to revisit with a fresh pair of old eyes. Solid work Heavy Spoilers gang! Cheers ✌🏽
it came out when i first started college. i must have watched the movie 6 or 7 times in the student movie theater. right after accepting free samples of this hip new corporate handout - REDBULL!!
Absolutely one of my favorite movies of all time. Thank you so much for doing the breakdown!
No problem thanks for the comment
Here’s what I did back then: read the book, then read the script … then realized Jim Uhls is the genius behind the film’s writing. ✌️
Its all connected...
A few years after watching this movie, I was listening to a song called 'Dogma' by the band KMFDM. Their lyrics are VERY similar to the speeches in Fight Club, so I looked it up. The song was released on their album XTORT on June 25, 1996. After watching this breakdown, learned about the author of the book, says the book was published on August 17, 1996. Anyone who likes the movie will like the song too! Wonder if there are more connections...
Awesome break down of one of the greatest (and still underrated/under discussed) films there has ever been
How about we have Zodiac to top off Fincher’s best 3 films 😉
I love this movie. The cinematography is fantastic, the acting is superb, the story is twisty and surprising and mostly original. HOWEVER- if anyone (usually men but not always) says that their favorite character or idol is Tyler Durden- *_RUN_* .
Nice video! There is a theory that the narrator not only imagined Tyler but Marla, too and it's pretty convincing. You can find it easily on TH-cam.
Amazing, I've loved this film since it was released and I'm still learning new things about it
When I was 16 I worked as an Usher in the movies. I was very interested in the projection booth and after hours I would hang there with the operator. He taught me how to switch projectors. On Saturdays they would show old B movies that had been spliced and spliced so many times that there were squibs all over them that had not been removed. After the showing the operator would let me go through the films and paint out the old squibs. Squibs is what we used to call what F.C. called cigarette burns. The operator told me not everyone called them squibs.
Best film ive ever seen at the cinema i never saw the frames of tyler until the dvd release. se7en and big lebowski great era in movies thanks for posting x
Can’t thank you enough for this video on Fight Club. This movie is a true masterpiece of cinema and a huge part of my childhood in the 90s
Cheers mate
One of my favorite movies of all time. I kinda want to go watch it now.
I attended Fight Club last night - I arrived late however I had a fantastic time and would recommend it to anyone
Also, when the bus Marla is on takes off, you can see a bunch of guys stand up and surround her inside. That's how she was apprehended because they were all obviously in the Fight Club cult as well going on Tyler's orders to keep her safe from the explosions.
Watched this film in the theater three times. One of the best movies of the 90’s.
When Marla gets on the bus, as it’s pulling away, you can see a group of people getting up from their seats and approaching her. Just to make her abduction more clear when it comes around to the end.
Hi Paul, quick request from my other half, please breakdown Inglorious Basterds, im taking her through all my favourite classics. We did this last weekend, and Alien tonight!
I think you are the only person I've watched cover this movie that acknowledges "Sebastian". 💯
I was aware of Chuck Palahniuk before the "Fight Club" film via some writing blog or 'what not' but I never put the two together until after seeing it - I'd never read it and didn't put the two together. I did, however, buy "Survivor" which came out a year or so later and that tied everything together for me. After that I bought every book he put out. I've loved them all, but in all honesty, "Fight Club" is probably his best work.
I remember seeing this movie in theaters. I, then, remember hanging out in the movie theater waiting until the next showing, and immediately watching it again…it’s in the top 3 of my favorite movies of all time. Thank you for this. Chances are you’re not going to enlighten me on anything I wasn’t privy to before, but…thank you nonetheless I’m going to watch it all the same
I wiiilll go watch again actually! It actually makes me want to revisit Chuck Palanuks books again! Great breakdown!
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Lorena Bobbitt reference 😅
Nice job, fight club is iconic
One thing I just noticed during your breakdown is that the yin yang coffee table is called Fruktbar. I think this may be a play on the german word Furchtbar which essentially translates to "awful/terrible". I suspect the other item names are similar plays on words from other languages, though I didn't catch any.
20:00 Tyler's thumb isn't covering any additional nunbers. American zip codes only have 5 numbers occasionally with 4 digit extensions, but not 6. His boss's business card is a typo
Awesome breakdown. Love your channel, Paul
Much appreciated!
@@heavyspoilersmy pleasure 😊