Fight Club

What’s it about?

An office worker who feels stuck in his boring job teams up with Tyler Durden, a cheerful but reckless soap maker to start an underground fight club. What begins as a way to let off steam turns into something much bigger and more dangerous, leading the main character to question who he really is.

The facts

• Directed by David Fincher (The Social Network, Seven)
• Starring Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Edward Norton (American History X), Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), and Meat Loaf (The Rocky Horror Picture Show).
• English language
• Runtime: 140 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Graphic violence and content that may disturb

This film contains frequent bloody and graphic fistfights resulting in injuries like black eyes, bruised faces, and bloody mouths.

Some of the strongest moments of violence include:

• A man’s face is beaten to a bloody pulp, leaving him struggling to breath. This is shown in close-up and slow-motion, and the man is almost unrecognisable by the end.
• A character has acid poured onto his hand to test his strength and is slapped repeatedly. The man screams and writhes in pain and the skin is shown blistering and melting.
• A man shoots himself through the cheek. Another man is shot whilst running from the cops. Blood and brain matter spills out of the wound. This scene is brief but graphic.
• Three men threaten to castrate a man with a knife as he lays on a table with his pants removed, though we do not see his genitals and he manages to escape.
• One man rips his tooth out by hand. This is not a bloody scene, but the sound may shock some viewers.

The film has a dark and unsettling tone, with disturbing violence and complex psychological themes that can be deeply disorienting.

Suicide

In one scene, a woman attempts suicide by overdosing on Xanax. We do not see her take the pills but we see the capsules and she says she has a “stomach full of xanax.” The scene is quite prolonged as she talks to a man on the phone about her coming death.

Offensive language

The film contains regular use of offensive language, such as words like “f*ck,” “sh*t,” “b*tch,” and “ass.”

Helplines:

The self-harm and suicide themes could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters