David Fincher: Self Improvement Through Self Destruction

Edward Norton and Morgan Freeman's characters learn valuable lessons and also how to be better people because of the events in each film. And they both go through a lot of stuff. Norton ends up shooting himself without dying, and Freeman has to see from up close his friend ruining his life and a criminal getting away with it (technically).

I haven't watched THE GAME.
Power, Identity, Loss of Control
In FIGHT CLUB we find out that Norton and Brad Pitt's characters are the same person. And even before that, Norton didn't feel like he had an identity. He didn't feel like he was a living person (stuck in a job he hated), and he didn't know what his purpose in life was. When Pitt shows up, he starts telling Norton what to do and he just follows him blindly. And after the reveal, Norton realizes that throughout the movie he didn't have control over his body.

In SE7EN, Kevin Spacey's character is in control because he has anticipated everything the police will do. This includes the last scene, where he tells Pitt he killed his wife (and baby) because he knows he'll kill him out of rage and go to jail. Freeman realizes this and warns Pitt, but Pitt kills him anyway. He may have died, but he died with power.

Thanks for the reply, I didn't think of applying the statement to Freeman's character.

By the way, I summed up all those scenes because this is a board. But you should watch the movies in case you want to describe the scenes in detail.

I already have done some scene by scene analysis of all the films, I am just trying to find a range of sources of information regarding the autuer characteristics of David Fincher in relation to my focus statement.

Regarding "power", the first 5 minutes of The Social Network , show the struggle for power in the relationship between Jesse and his girlfriend talking in the bar/restaurant. It's not violent, but each person is parrying for supremacy.

It's a style touch that Fincher does so well.