His films like 'Sunset Boulevard' and 'The Apartment' expose the moral compromises and personal sacrifices required to achieve success in Hollywood and corporate America.

Through works like 'Raging Bull' and 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' he depicts the devastating emotional and spiritual toll that the pursuit of success and ambition exacts on his protagonists.

His films 'Black Swan' and 'The Wrestler' intimately explore how the obsessive drive for artistic and professional achievement destroys the mental health and humanity of their characters.