An unnamed Narrator (Edward Norton) lives a lonely, quiet existence in some anonymous American city, attempting to cure his insomnia by using various support groups as emotional outlets, when he meets a charismatic soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) on a flight home from a business trip. When the Narrator finds his apartment has been destroyed in an apparent gas explosion, he invites himself to stay with Tyler at his dilapidated mansion. Together, the Narrator and Tyler start up a 'fight club', a place where working men come to vent their frustrations through one-on-one, no-holds-barred combat. Fight Club is enormously successful, and spreads across the country; soon, Tyler is moving onto bigger ideas, utilising the hardcore Fight Club members as his own personal army for chaos. After Tyler begins to leave the Narrator out of his plans, the Narrator investigates - he finds out that he is actually Tyler Durden, and that he was the one who blew up his own apartment, who's been making all the plans and carrying on a romantic relationship with fellow support group 'tourist' Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter). The Narrator then discovers that he has inadvertently - as Tyler - been plotting to blow up a series of buildings as part of the so-called Project Mayhem.
The Ending
The Narrator confronts Tyler in one of the buildings rigged to blow. He disarms the bomb, but fights Tyler (really himself) as they argue over what they both want, seeing as Tyler has taken over the Narrator's life so fundamentally that he's no longer in control of his own actions. The Narrator pleads with Tyler to stop the countdown of the charges in the other buildings, but Tyler insists it's too late. The Narrator, refusing to be a part of Tyler's plan any longer, shoots himself in the head - it wounds the Narrator, but kills Tyler off. Marla is brought to the Narrator by Project Mayhem soldiers, and the pair hold hands as they watch the neighbouring buildings detonate and collapse together.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
