FIGHT CLUB

TYLER

What do you want me to say? That Project Mayhem will knock over the

pillars of civilization like dominoes? That it's going to bring about

a prematurely-induced dark age? Should I E-mail you? Should I put

this on your "action item list"?

JACK

Fine.

TYLER

Recognize the make and model of this car?

JACK

Yeah -- so what?

TYLER

The front seat mounting bracket never passed collision tests.

Tyler pulls the car into the opposite lane. HEADLIGHTS in the distance

get closer very, very quickly.

JACK

What are you doing?!

The oncoming car gets closer and closer, honking and flashing it's

lights. Jack tries to grab the wheel. Tyler uses one arm to pin down

Jack's arms. He uses one hand to steer.

JACK

TYLER! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!!

TYLER

If you died right now, how would you feel about your life?

JACK

I WOULD FEEL NOTHING ABOUT MY LIFE! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?!

PG 89

TYLER

I want to hear the truth.

The car swerves at the last second.

JACK

Fuck my life. Fuck fight club! Fuck you and fuck Marla. I'm sick of

this shit! How's that? Huh?

TYLER

You don't have any concept of what it is to hit bottom.

An oncoming TRUCK honks and flashes it's lights. It moves to the other

side of the road. Tyler steers there, too. The truck moves back;

Tyler moves back. More honking and flashing. The truck moves; Tyler

moves.

TYLER

HITTING BOTTOM ISN'T A WEEKEND RETREAT! IT'S NOT A SEMINAR! ONLY

AFTER YOU'VE LOST EVERYTHING ARE YOU FREE TO DO ANYTHING! YOU SEE, YOU

LISTEN, BUT YOU DON'T GET IT! YOU HAVE TO FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW,

EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW!

Just seconds to impact with the oncoming truck and -- Tyler swerves.

Now the car heads straight for a STALLED CAR on the side of the road,

surrounded by flares. Jack stops struggling to get his arms free.

JACK

I am nothing in the world compared to you. I am helpless. I am stupid

and weak and all I do is want and need things. I *am* my little shit

job. I *am* my condo and my Swedish furniture. I am SHIT!

Tyler lets go of Jack's arms and lets go of the steering wheel. He and

Jack look at each other as their car barrels toward the stalled car.

Their faces are illuminated by the light of the flares.

They SMASH into the stalled car. Both airbags inflate, but the front

seat LURCHES forward, loose, causing the men's legs to bang against the

dash. Tremendous momentum makes the back of the car whip around and

carry it into a ass-over-teakettle ROLL down the hill.

PG 90

JACK (V.O.)

I'd never been in a car accident. This was what all those statistics

felt like before I wrote them into my reports.

INT. FAMILY CAR (JACK'S IMAGINATION)

The car that Jack saw, post-wreck, in the warehouse, FLAMING, tumbling

END over END; the FATHER, MOTHER TEENAGE GIRL and BABY all SCREAMING.

INT. TYLER'S STOLEN CAR - RESUMING

The hill goes on further and further -- it's a deep RAVINE. The car

finally hits the bottom, lying on its roof.

EXT. OVERTURNED CAR

Tyler crawls out and goes around, opening Jack's door. He drags Jack

out into the mud. He grabs Jack's face and squeezes it, shaking it.

TYLER

You just had a near-life experience.

INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - LATE NIGHT

Jack lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. Tyler sits in a chair, next

to the bed, speaking softly.

TYLER

The world I see -- you're stalking elk through the damp canyon forests

around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You wear leather clothes that

will last you the rest of your life. You climb the wrist-thick vines

that wrap the Sears Tower. You see tiny figures pounding corn and

laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of the ruins of a

superhighway.

INT. JACK'S BEDROOM - DAWN

Jack lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. Tyler is gone. Faint sounds

of SAWING and HAMMERING.

PG 91

INT. KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER

Jack sits at the table, sipping coffee. He's pale, dazed. He seems

broken. He hears the faint sounds of sawing and hammering again; he's

unsure of where they're coming from. He glances out the window, sees

nothing.

Marla walks into the kitchen. Jack looks up at her. She looks at him,

unsmiling. There's a bruise on her face and arm. She pours herself a

coffee and lights a cigarette. A beat of silence, then:

MARLA

I'll be out of your way in a sec.

She seems to be as weak as Jack.

JACK

You ... don't have to ... rush off.

MARLA

Sarcastic prick.

JACK

No, really ...

Marla's eyes drift away from his. Jack gets up, tries to move closer

to her. She pulls away. He retreats and they wind up on opposite

sides of the room. Jack leans against the wall near the BASEMENT DOOR,

which is AJAR.

JACK

Why are we both ... caught up like this ... with ...?

JACK (V.O.)

I came so close to saying Tyler's name, I could feel it vibrate inside

my mouth.

Marla looks at him curiously, waiting.

JACK

Why does a weak person go out and find a strong person to ... hang

onto?

MARLA

It's a real sick relationship. You don't think I know it?

JACK

Does it *have* to be?

PG 92

MARLA

Does it?

Faint sound of sawing and hammering. Jack can't quite figure where

it's coming from.

JACK

You hear that?

MARLA

Hear what?

JACK

That ... sawing and hammering.

MARLA

We have to change the subject? Have we been talking too long?

JACK

I just don't understand what you get out of such a sick relationship.

MARLA

What the hell do *you* get out of it?

Jack turns and sees, through the slim space of the open door, Tyler, at

the bottom of the basement stairs, staring a silent warning. Jack

turns back to Marla.

JACK

Nevermind.

MARLA

No. That day you came over to check my breast ...

JACK

Let's just stop right here.

MARLA

Come on! You *want* to pull yourself out of whatever you're stuck in.

Marla moves slowly toward Jack.

JACK

Conversation over.

Marla strokes Jack's hair. She sees the kiss-scar on his hand. She

grabs his hand and studies it. Jack tries to pull it back, but Marla

keeps a tight grip.

PG 93

MARLA

What is that?! Who did that?!

JACK

... A person.

MARLA

Guy or girl?

JACK

Why would you ask if it's a guy or a girl?!

MARLA

Why would you get bent if I asked?!

JACK

Go.

MARLA

What does it mean? You're afraid to say?

JACK

Go! Go!

Marla kisses Jack's hand, putting her lips right onto the scar, leaving

an imprint of lipstick. Jack jerks his hand away from her. He tries

to wipe off the lipstick and it smears. He unconsciously licks it off.

MARLA

MMMMMMMMMM ... Swallow it.

JACK

Get the hell out of here!

Stung, Marla stomps toward the back door.

MARLA

Go fuck yourself -- that's probably how you like it best.

And out she goes. Jack watches her stomp through the backyard and out

to the sidewalk. Tyler comes up from the basement, passes Jack and

goes through the archway. Sound of his footsteps going up to the

second floor. Jack goes down the basement steps.

PG 94

INT. BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS

TRIPLE-DECKER BUNKS clutter the basement, as many as can fit into the

space.

JACK

What's this for?

>From upstairs, the sound of the DOORBELL.

INT. LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Jack opens the door. Ricky stands on the porch, staring blankly ahead

in subordinate military style. He's dressed in black pants, black

shirt, black shoes. He holds a brown paper bag. An army surplus

mattress sits in a tied-up roll at his feet.

Jack is about to say something, when Tyler steps past Jack and speaks

very softly to Ricky:

TYLER

I'm sorry. You're too young to train here.

Tyler steps back inside and shuts the door.

JACK

"Train" here?

TYLER

He's not. If the applicant is young, we tell him he's too young. Old,

too old. Fat, too fat.

JACK

Why?

TYLER

This is how Buddhist temples tested applicants going back for

bah-zillion years. If the applicant waits at the door for three days

without food, shelter or encouragement, then he can enter and begin

training.

JACK

Begin training?

Tyler grins at him.

PG 95

EXT. PORCH - MOMENTS LATER

Jack bursts out the door, faces Ricky.

JACK

GET OUT OF HERE! GO! HE TOLD YOU YOU'RE TOO YOUNG! GET OUT!

It's clear there will be no response from Ricky, who's like a statue.

Jack goes back inside, closes the door.

EXT. PORCH - NIGHT

Ricky stands in the same spot. Jack bursts out with a broom, knocks

the brown paper bag out of Ricky's hand, kicks it off the porch. Ricky

remains in place, motionless.

JACK

ARE YOU STUPID?! I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF HERE! YOU'RE NEVER GETTING

INSIDE THIS HOUSE!

EXT. PORCH - MORNING

Ricky in the same spot. Tyler slinks out the front door, smiling.

TYLER

I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. Look, friend, it's not the end

of the world. Just go away. Nothing personal, but I'm going to have

to call the police. You're trespassing.

EXT. PORCH - NIGHT

Ricky, same spot. Jack bursts outside with the broom again. He WHACKS

Ricky in the shoulder.