One of the most effective ways to begin a script is to start at the ending. And one of the best scenes that opens with the ending is in the movie Fight Club. Adapted for the screen by Jim Uhls from a novel by the notable writer Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club is a head-spinning and dark satire on contemporary society. Here is the opening scene:
SCREEN BLACK JACK (V.O.)People were always asking me, did I know Tyler Durden. FADE IN: INT. SOCIAL ROOM - TOP FLOOR OF HIGH-RISE - NIGHT TYLER has the barrel of a HANDGUN lodged in JACK'S MOUTH. Theystruggle intensely. They are both around 30; Tyler is blond, handsome, eyes burning withfrightening intensity; and JACK, brunette, is appealing in a dry sortof way. They are both sweating and disheveled; Jack seems to be losinghis will to fight. TYLERWe won't really die. We'll be immortal. JACKoor -- ee-ee --uh -- aa-i -- JACK (V.O.)With a gun barrel between your teeth, you speak only in vowels. Jack tongues the barrel to the side of his mouth. JACK (still distorted)You're thinking of vampires. Jack tries to get the gun. Tyler keeps control. JACK (V.O.)With my tongue, I can feel the silencer holes drilled into the barrelof the gun. Most of the noise a gunshot makes is expanding gases. Itotally forgot about Tyler's whole murder-suicide thing for a secondand I wondered how clean the gun barrel was. Tyler checks his watch. TYLERThree minutes. Jack turns so that he can see down -- 71 STORIES. JACK (V.O.)The building we're standing in won't be here in three minutes. You take a98-percent concentration of fuming nitric acid and add three times asmuch sulfuric in a bathtub full of ice. Then, glycerin drop-by-drop.Nitroglycerin. I know this because Tyler knows this. Jack manages to SHOVE Tyler away. Then, he leaps onto him and theyfall onto a table, then roll off onto the floor. The gun falls andslides. They wrestle with each other, then dash for the gun. Tylergets there first and grabs the gun. DURING THE ABOVE: JACK (V.O.)The Demolitions Committee of Project Mayhem wrapped the foundationcolumns of this building with blasting gelatin. The primary chargewill blow the base charge, and this spot Tyler and I are standing onwill be a point in the sky. Tyler drags Jack back to the glass wall and forces him to look out atthe city skyline. TYLERThis is our world now. Two minutes. JACK (V.O.)Two minutes to go and I'm wondering how I got here. MOVE IN ON JACK'S FACE. SLOWLY PULL BACK from Jack's face. It's pressed against TWO LARGEBREASTS that belong to ... BOB, a big moose of a man, around 35 yearsold. Jack is engulfed by Bob's arms in an embrace. Bob weeps openly.His shoulders inhale themselves up in a long draw, then drop, drop,drop in jerking sobs. Jack gives Bob some squeezes in return, but hisface is stone. JACK (V.O.)Bob had bitch tits.
The movie begins with some guy named Tyler with a gun shoved in some guy named Jack’s mouth. Then we learn of an imminent explosion, apparently some sort of terrorist event. And the two guys who know about this impending violence – and seemingly involved in its execution – are chatting inanely about immortality and vampires.
Two minutes to go and I’m wondering how I got here. That is precisely what opening a story at the ending does: It plants that question, so that whatever happens, for the rest of the entire story until it catches up with the ending, the reader is wondering the same thing: How does he get there? And that’s one big reason why this is a great scene.
Unfortunately there is no video available online of this opening scene – at least that I can find, maybe an intrepid GITS reader can locate it and send me a link. But here is the movie’s trailer:
A few other movies that begin with the ending: Sunset Blvd., Memento, and The Usual Suspects. I’m sure you can add others to the list. Comments await you.
And I know we’ve got to have a lot of huge fans of Fight Club. Why? Because the movie is currently ranked #17 out of the IMDB top 250 movies (as voted by The People). Fans of the movie, please tell us why you love this movie.
For those who’d like to download the script, go here to myPDFscripts.com to get access to the 2/16/1998 draft of the script.
UPDATE: In comments, Camden Carr mentions the book “Rebels on the Backlot,” one chapter of which covers director David Fincher’s efforts to bring Fight Club to life. That book is available to read online here.
can I just say how much I f–king love this film?!
One of my favorie movies of all time. For me the movie just totally felt like it was made for my generation. The dialogue especially, one of the most quotable movies in my opinion. No truer line (for me at least) then "We're a generation of men raised by women. I'm wondering if another woman is really the answer we need."
Amazing cinematography to boot, Fincher is a genius when it coms to framing shots.
If you love this movie be sure to read the book "Rebels on the Backlot". Tells the whole story of how Fincher got it made.
I can't say enough about how great I thing this movie is. From writing to cinematography to music score, editing, lighting, acting, costumes & set design and of course, directing, I think what they all have in common – and what I love most about the film – is that they're all groundbreaking, smart and daring. No one's ever made a film like it and never will. In my opinion, it is a true masterwork.
@ Camden: definitely one of the most quotable movies ever!
And to everyone, if you haven't read the book "Fight Club" or any of Chuck Palahniuk's books, I highly recommend you seek them out, asap. When you start considering a writer's "voice" on the page, there's no better authorial example than Chuck. His writing is so distinctive and insightful, it's quite simply unmistakable, something I think we should all be striving for!
Also, Chuck's website @ http://chuckpalahniuk.net/ is an aspiring writer's wet dream!