Little Details That Should've Made The Twist In 'Fight Club' Obvious
Vote up the clues in ‘Fight Club’ that you should've noticed sooner.
When Fight Club first hit theaters back in 1999, it received a lot of attention for its genuinely shocking plot twist. Nobody expected Tyler and the Narrator to be the same person, yet maybe they should have, because there are tons of Easter eggs in Fight Club.
Director David Fincher crammed Fight Club secrets and genius foreshadowing into every available frame. Most go by so quickly it's almost impossible for first-time audiences to notice, but there are definitely a few in there that everyone should have picked up on.
After knowing the twist, it becomes much easier to notice the little things that give it away: shared boxers, impossible phone calls, shifting car seats. Even after multiple viewings, there may still be some brilliant instances of foreshadowing you missed. Be sure to also check out more shows and movies like Fight Club.
- 10 VOTES
Tyler Calls The Narrator At A Phone Booth With No Incoming Calls
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxAfter the Narrator's apartment blows up, he needs somewhere to stay. He calls the number Tyler Durden gave him, but there's no answer. Within a few seconds, Tyler calls the Narrator back on the same payphone.
However, if you look a little closer, there's an inscription that says the phone doesn't do incoming calls. This means it's impossible for Tyler to call back - if he was a real person, anyway.
- 20 VOTES
Tyler Briefly Appears On Screen At The Doctor's Office
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxBefore the Narrator has even met Tyler Durden, Tyler starts showing up in hallucinations. The Narrator is suffering from insomnia, so strange flashes and visions aren't entirely ridiculous, but it's unsettling to think he's seeing glimpses of a man he's never met.
That means he already knows who and what Tyler is before ever "meeting" him.
- 30 VOTES
Tyler Is At The First Grief Counseling Session
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxTyler makes a brief appearance at the support group the Narrator attends. Again, this is pretty disturbing since the Narrator doesn't know Tyler yet.
- 40 VOTES
The Narrator Climbs Out Of The Driver's Side Of The Car
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxTyler and the Narrator get into a big argument mid-way through the film that results in a serious car crash. The car tumbles several times, but when the Narrator is removed from the vehicle, he's clearly dragged from the driver's seat of the car.
This is pretty weird, since the Narrator was previously shown in the passenger's seat as Tyler drove. It's almost like they're the same person or something.
- 50 VOTES
The Narrator Thinks Of His Fight With Tyler When He Punches Himself
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxBefore his supervisor can fire him, the Narrator decides to make it look like his boss has been physically aggressive. This involves the Narrator punching himself in the face over and over. During this non-fight, the Narrator is reminded of the time he fought Tyler.
Is this because it was the beginning of his fighting career, or because his fight with Tyler was also just the Narrator punching himself over and over?
- 60 VOTES
Tyler Shows Up In A Random Commercial
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxAs the Narrator watches TV early in the film to stave off insomnia, he sees a commercial that has Tyler Durden in it.
Unless Tyler is secretly an actor on the side, there's no reason he should appear in this commercial.
- 70 VOTES
They Wear The Same Type Of Boxers
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxAs soon as the Narrator moves into Tyler's dilapidated mansion, the two begin wearing the exact same underwear.
The rest of their clothing is extremely different, but they both rock white boxers whenever they're shown on screen.
- 80 VOTES
The Narrator Is Also In Pain When Tyler Fights The Bar Owner
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxWhen Tyler goads bar owner Lou into beating him up, the Narrator seems to also experience some pain. It's subtle, but when Lou hits Tyler for the first time, the Narrator winces a little and doubles over.
It's almost as if Lou is also punching the Narrator in the gut.
- 90 VOTES
The Duo Only Pays A Single Bus Fare
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxWhen Tyler and the Narrator ride the bus together, they only pay one bus fare. Either Tyler is great at sneaking onto busses, or he doesn't exist.
- 100 VOTES
Tyler Never Sets Off Car Alarms
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxAs a precursor to Project Mayhem, Tyler and the Narrator decide to bang up some cars. Even though they both hit cars with golf balls and baseball bats, only the Narrator's hits ever set off car alarms.
It looks as if Tyler is damaging the vehicles, but we never actually hear any audible alarms. Only the Narrator's damage seems to register.
- 110 VOTES
Fight Clubs Pop Up Wherever The Narrator Goes
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxFairly late in the film, the Narrator travels the country in search of Tyler. Everywhere the Narrator goes, he arrives just a little too late. The Narrator always seems to be right behind Tyler as fight clubs start popping up everywhere he goes.
Maybe viewers should consider how the Narrator is suffering from insomnia again, and how he's always present in cities where fight clubs start.
- 120 VOTES
Unfamiliar Men Already Know The Narrator
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxIn addition to fight clubs opening wherever the Narrator travels, stangers also seem to recognize him.
The bartender is the first to say "hello," but all these injured men seem to know the Narrator.
- 130 VOTES
'When You're Suffering From Insomnia, Nothing's Really Real'
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxEarly in the film, the Narrator claims, "When you're suffering from insomnia, nothing's really real." From the get-go, the Narrator is trying to warn viewers against trusting everything they see.
The Narrator isn't sleeping and feels a little crazy. As it turns out, he's actually a lot crazy.
- 140 VOTES
Tyler And The Narrator Have The Same Briefcase
Photo: Fight Club / 20th Century FoxWhen Tyler and the Narrator meet for the first time, the Narrator mentions they have the same briefcase. Tyler brushes past this revelation pretty quickly, but viewers probably should have found this coincidence strange.
After all, Tyler and the Narrator are nothing alike at the beginning of the film.
