male escapism

His films like Fight Club and The Social Network dissect male protagonists seeking escape from modern alienation and perceived emasculation through destructive fantasies and obsessive pursuits.

His recurring exploration of male characters using crime, violence, and obsession as escape from ordinary life defines much of his career, particularly in Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.

His philosophical filmmaking repeatedly portrays men escaping societal constraints through nature, rebellion, and spiritual transcendence, as seen in Badlands and The Thin Red Line.