2. Spoil the Fun: Pick an Origin Story
Part of the films appeal lies in working out precisely where Jack ends and Tyler begins. Is it on the very first subliminal flash of Tyler? Or their introduction on the plane (later assumed to be Jack talking to himself)? Or is it in the flashback following the Big Reveal, where we return to Jack and Tyler beating each other up in the dimly-lit parking lot of Lou's Tavern? The difference, this time, is the noticeable absence of the latter. Jack is punching himself, grabbing his own collar- rather like he did in his boss' office. We then see a couple of bemused passers-by approach this man (fortuitously, they're the perfect recruits)... and, lo and behold, Fight Club is born. Tyler could very well have been lying in wait for much longer, of course, but here is the catalyst. Everything, from blowing up an apartment to Bobs death, all boils down to a bloke battering himself outside a boozer? Wouldn't it be more plausible for these interlopers to beat up Jack themselves, or perhaps, simply walk away? Members of Fight Club may have grown accustomed to their leaders eccentricities, such as arguing with himself while driving, but it seems unlikely that a stranger knocking seven bells out of himself is the man theyd call their saviour.