10 Movie Reveals You Can Spot Early (If You Really Look)

7. Tyler Durden Doesn't Exist - Fight Club

Fight Club
Fox

The Reveal

Ultra-cool anarchist Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) doesn't actually exist, but is an invented, alternate personality residing within the mind of the insomnia-addled protagonist (Edward Norton).

How To Spot It Early

David Fincher's masterful thriller is rife with clever visual nods to its eventual big reveal, but nothing more ingeniously simple than a piece of text on a payphone.

After the protagonist's apartment is blown to smithereens and Tyler calls him from a payphone early on, Fincher shows us a close-up of the phone, above which a line of bolded text reads, "No incoming calls allowed."

This confirms that there was no physical way for Tyler to call Norton's character using that phone, which makes it decidedly easier for audiences to piece together that Tyler doesn't actually exist at all. Brilliant.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.