Script To Screen: “Fight Club”

The ending to the 1999 movie Fight Club, screenplay by Jim Uhls, novel by Chuck Palahniuk.

IMDb plot summary: An insomniac office worker looking for a way to change his life crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker and they form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more…

INT. LARGE SOCIAL ROOM - TOP FLOOR CLOSE ON: Jack's head jerks back as he SNAPS AWAKE. He
looks around, trying to focus his eyes... JACK'S P.O.V. -- TRACKS in the sawdust of the floor, from
where his body was dragged across to where he is how. CLOSE ON: Jack tries to comprehend. He turns his head --
TYLER'S HAND brings the GUN up, PUTS THE GUN IN JACK'S
MOUTH. Jack freezes, looks around with his eyes... PULL BACK TO: Tyler is seated in Jack's lap. Tyler holds the gun in
Jack's mouth, his arm around him. This huge room is being
remodeled. Tyler and Jack are seated near floor-to-ceiling
windows affording a spectacular view of the CITY. Tyler looks at his watch. TYLER
One minute. JACK (V.O.)
I think this is about where we came
in. TYLER
(looking out window)
This is the beginning. We're at
ground zero. Maybe you should say a
few words, to mark the occasion. JACK
i... ann....iinn.. ff....nnyin... Jack tongues the barrel to the side of his mouth. JACK
(still distorted)
I still can't think of anything. Tyler checks his watch. TYLER
It's getting exciting now. Jack turns, so he can see down -- 31 STORIES. TYLER
Look what we've accomplished.
(checks watch)
Thirty seconds.
(looks out windows)
Out these windows, we will view the
economic collapse. One step closer
to global equilibrium. I'm glad
you're here with me. Tyler watches the skyline, WHISTLES at tune, waiting. JACK
(distorted)
Can't you call it off... ? TYLER
It's out of our hands.
(looks at watch)
This is it. JACK
Please... TYLER
Fifteen seconds now. Can you see
alright? 10... 9... 8.... Tyler looks out the windows, at SURROUNDING BUILDINGS,
excited. Jack closes his eyes, despairing. TYLER
5... 4... 3... 2... Out the window, the SKYLINE remains unchanged. Nothing. A
long beat. A very dark scowl comes over Tyler's face. Jack opens his eyes. More waiting. Tyler looks genuinely
surprised, pissed-off. TYLER
What the fuck -- ? JACK
Paraffin. TYLER
What? JACK
(relieved)
Paraffin. Your merry band mixed the
nitro with paraffin. I saw it
floating in the bomb.
(more) JACK (cont)
They must've run out of cotton and
Epsom salt. Paraffin is iffy at best. Tyler rises, taking the gun from Jack's mouth, starts
pacing. Jack rubs his sore jowls, allows himself a smile. TYLER
Damn it! God-damn it... JACK
Not exactly according to plan. TYLER
Do we have to do everything
ourselves?! Tyler stops walking, lets out a sigh of disgust. He reaches
into his pocket, taking out a WALKIE TALKIE. TYLER
(into WALKIE TALKIE)
... Codename Rooster. Passcode First
Strike... Jack's eyes go wide. JACK
NO... TYLER
(into WALKIE TALKIE)
Proceed with remote detonation. Jack leaps -- TACKLES Tyler. The GUN is knocked away. Jack
STRIKES Tyler's face repeatedly with his elbow, scrambles
off... Jack gets the gun, turns, pointing it. Tyler's getting to
his feet, sees the gun, annoyed. Jack stands. TYLER
Haven't we already done this? Jack SHOOTS TWICE. Bullets pass right thorough Tyler.
Tyler just rolls his eyes, drops the walkie-talkie to the
floor and STOMPS on it, CRUSHING it. JACK
(pointing)
How'd you do that?! You're a fucking
figment of my imagination... you're
psychogenic fugue state... TYLER
Fuck that, maybe you're my
hallucination. Jack falters, pointing at Tyler's feet. There's no walkie-
talkie there. Jack looks down, sees the WALKIE-TALKIE
CRUSHED under his own foot. JACK
Oh... Christ... Jack holds his head, walks around, at his wit's end. JACK
Why... why... why... ? TYLER
Why what? JACK
Why can't I get rid of you? Why
can't I just wish you away? TYLER
You need me. JACK
No, no, I don't.
(pause)
I thank you, I really do. Thank you,
but I don't need you anymore. TYLER
Look, I can be selfish, I know that.
(pause)
I'm not blind to my own failings... JACK
Noooo, please... Jack backs up against a window, numb and weary. TYLER
From now on, we'll share Marla.
We've been spending too much time
apart... JACK
... no, no, no... TYLER
No more running off without you.
From here on out, we do it together. JACK
Why are you doing this?! TYLER
I'm doing this for us. JACK
Please understand... I've gotten all
I can from this, Tyler. TYLER
(sullen)
If I leave, you will be right back
where I found you... JACK
I swear on my life, I won't... TYLER
You will. You know you will. Jack stares at Tyler, tears welling up, hangs his head. He
looks at the gun in his hand... TYLER
Can you live with that? Jack stares at the gun a long time... then... Jack brings the gun up, PUTS THE GUN IN HIS MOUTH. Tyler cocks his head. TYLER
What are you doing? JACK
What have you left for me? TYLER
Why do you want to do that? Why do
you want to put that gun in your
mouth? JACK
Not my mouth. Our mouth. Tyler is calm. TYLER
This is interesting. Tyler smiles in appreciation, slowly walks forward, stands
very close to Jack. TYLER
Why are you going with this, Ikea-
boy? JACK
It's the only way to get rid of you... Jack COCKS the hammer on the gun. TYLER
I can see you feel very strongly. I
feel strongly too.
(pause)
Hey, you and me.
(pause)
Friends again? Their eyes are locked, unblinking. Long silence. JACK
Do something for me. TYLER
What? JACK
Appreciate something. TYLER
What? JACK
Look at me... TYLER
What? JACK
My eyes are open. EXTREME SLOW MOTION: Jack's finger squeezes the trigger... KABLAM! -- Jack's cheeks INFLATE with gas. His eyes bulge.
BLOOD flies out from his head. The WINDOW behind him
SHATTERS. SMOKE wafts out of his mouth and tear ducts. RESUME NORMAL SPEED as the GLASS FALLS behind Jack... Tyler stands, in gunsmoke, eyes glazed, sniffs the air... TYLER
What's that smell... ? Jack slumps to the floor... Tyler falls... Tyler hits the ground. The back of TYLER'S HEAD is BLOWN
OPEN, revealing blood, skull and brain. Suddenly, a GROUP of SPACE MONKEYS burst into the room,
moving forward to Jack. TYLER'S BODY IS GONE. TALL SPACE MONKEY
Are you all right, sir... ?! Jack quakes, holding the side of his head; a ragged hole
blown in his CHEEK. He's bleeding hard, but he's alive. JACK
I'm okay... Jack looks to the Space Monkeys, trying to get his eyes to
see. TWO SPACE MONKEYS enter with Marla. One holds a gun
to Marla as she struggles. SHORT SPACE MONKEY
Are you sure? You look terrible,
sir! What's happened? JACK
Everything's fine. ANOTHER SPACE MONKEY
Sir, you look really awful! Do you
need medical assistance? Jack sees Marla, tries to get to his feet, falls... JACK
Bring the girl to me. The rest of
you get out. Now! The Monkeys bring Marla, releasing her, saluting. MARLA
What happened... ? JACK
Don't ask. Marla crouches, takes out wadded TISSUES and tries to apply.
them to Jack's wound. Space Monkeys are leaving, hesitantly. JACK
Get to the rendezvous point. Move it! Jack and Marla are left alone. MARLA
My God, you're shot... JACK
Yes. Jack tries to got up. Marla helps him. MARLA
Who did this to you? JACK
I did, I think. But, I'm okay... I'm
fine... MASSIVE EXPLOSION... the glass walls rattle... Jack and Marla look -- OUT THE WINDOWS: a BUILDING EXPLODES;
collapsing upon itself. Then, ANOTHER BUILDING IMPLODES
into a massive cloud of dust. Jack and Marla are
silhouetted against the SKYLINE. Jack looks to Marla,
reaches to take her hand. JACK
I'm sorry... you met me at a very
strange time in my life. Marla looks at him. ANOTHER BUILDING IMPLODES and COLLAPSES
inward... and ANOTHER BUILDING... and ANOTHER... The FILM SLOWS, then ADVANCES ONE FRAME at a TIME -- SHOWING
SPROCKET HOLES on the SIDES. EACH FRAME is an IMPLODING
BUILDING -- then, ONE FRAME IS A PENIS. Then, the IMPLODING
BUILDING again. SPEED UP the frames, LOSE the sprocket
holes, RESUME NORMAL SPEED... FADE TO BLACK:

Here is the scene — in 2 parts and without Space Monkeys — from the movie.

Notice the significant increase in dialogue from the early draft to the later one. Then in the movie, a few alterations, but mostly trimmed dialogue. And one interesting twist: The moment Jack realizes that if Tyler has the gun in his hand… that actually means that Jack is holding the gun… which in the movie is how the gun ‘moves’ from Tyler to Jack.

What other changes do you notice?

One of the single best things you can do to learn the craft of screenwriting is to read the script while watching the movie. After all a screenplay is a blueprint to make a movie and it’s that magic of what happens between printed page and final print that can inform how you approach writing scenes. That is the purpose of Script to Screen, a weekly series on GITS where we analyze a memorable movie scene and the script pages that inspired it.

For more articles in the Script To Screen series, go here.