In a rare reversal, Fight Club now has its original ending back in China, following a sizeable backlash.
Spoilers for the international cut (and now the Chinese cut) of Fight Club follow.
Well, look at this: a happy ending to a story that’s all about.. well, a not-so happy ending. Chinese censors have reversed their decision to lop off the subversive, anti-authority ending to 1999’s Fight Club following a backlash from fans since its release in the country last month.
A couple of weeks ago, the story circulated that following the film’s debut in China, the ending of the film – where Edward Norton’s narrator watches capitalist America burn to ashes around him as Tyler, his warped alter-ego, succeeds in his anarchic plot – was replaced by a screen of text, stating the following:
‘Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding. After the trial, Tyler was sent to lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment. He was discharged from the hospital in 2012.’
Lots of Chinese movie fans have reportedly complained and in a rare move, the censorship decision has been reversed, and now Fight Club can be viewed in the country in all of its subversive glory (well not quite all. You still can’t see Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham-Carter in their, erm, ‘glory’…)
Whilst it’s unlikely that the film’s fully restored finale will be inciting Chinese viewers to revolution anytime soon, it’s still a small triumph for an anti-authority film over one of the most controlling states on the planet, something we sure Tyler Durden, the film’s chaos-causing hero, would like.
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