When it comes to adapting stories, creative liberties are part of the territory. In the case of David Fincher’s Fight Club, the ending of his movie differed greatly from what happened at the end of Chuck Palahniuk’s original novel, though it arguably retained the same spirit. However, the same can’t be said for a version of Fight ClubThe bizarre ending of the current streaming video in China is currently being shown.
As those who’ve seen Fight Club will remember (and if you haven’t, SPOILER alert for a movie that came out in 1999), it wraps up with Edward Norton’s Narrator realizing that he and Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden are one and the same. The Narrator kills Tyler after firing a gun through his cheek, but in the movie’s final seconds, he and Helena Bonham Carter’s Marla Singer watch as Project Mayhem lives on, with the explosives planted earlier destroying the nearby buildings that contained credit card records.
That’s not the case in the version of Fight Club that’s available on the Chinese streaming service Tencent Video. Instead, you can use this Fight ClubEnds before the buildings explode. The final seconds show the following text:
Tyler provided a clue that allowed the police to quickly figure out the entire plan and arrest all criminals. This prevented the bomb’s explosion. Tyler was sentenced to mental health treatment in a lunatic asylum. In 2012, Tyler was discharged from the hospital.
While it’s unclear if this Fight Club edit was a result of self-censorship or being mandated by China’s government, ViceSources tell us that the edit was made by the copyright owner and approved by the government before being sold to streaming services. This is a 180 degree change from the rest. Fight Club flows. Instead of Tyler Durden’s scheme still unfolding, not only do the police manage to foil it, but the Narrator (identified as Tyler, even though we never learn his true name) is sent to a mental hospital for over a decade.
The modified Fight ClubMany Chinese social media users who enjoyed the original cut were disappointed to hear that the ending was not what they expected. Still, given how strict China often is with censoring movies, TV shows and other forms of media, this isn’t too much of a shocker. If you’re looking for something to watch, here are some suggestions. Fight Club in its original form in China, you’ll have to make do with finding a bootleg copy. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video for those who are in the United States.
However Fight ClubThe film received a negative reception in theaters. It only made $101 million on a budget of $63-65 million. However, it enjoyed more success on home-video and became a popular cult classic. Last summer, author Stephen King watched David Fincher’s fourth directorial endeavor for the first time, though to be fair, he’d suffered a terrible accident when Fight ClubIt was released originally, so it makes sense that he didn’t get to enjoy it. Unfortunately, one member of the Fight ClubCast is gone, as Meat Loaf, the actor who played Robert Paulson, died last week at the age 74.
Looking to the future, David Finch’s next movie on deck is The KillerTilda and Michael Fassbender are the stars of “The,” which is starring Tilda Swainton. The production began in November, and the finished product will be available on Netflix. CinemaBlend will continue to provide the latest news about upcoming movies.