In it, Norton portrays Derek Vinyard, a reformed neo-Nazi, who abandons his preconceived ideology after three years in prison. During production, Norton was allegedly dissatisfied with director Tony Kaye's first screening. Consequently, he took over the editing (uncredited) and finished the final cut, which was 40 minutes longer than Kaye's version. "The New Yorker" noted that he gave Derek an "ambiguous erotic allure" which made the film memorable, while the "Chicago Tribune" deemed his performance an immediate contender for an Oscar. Norton did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and won a Golden Satellite Award in the same category. In the 1999 David Fincher-directed film "Fight Club", Norton played an unnamed unreliable narrator who feels trapped in his white-collar job. The film is based on Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel. To prepare for the role, Norton took lessons in boxing, taekwondo and grappling. "Fight Club" premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival. During promotion for the film, Norton explained that "Fight Club" examines the value conflicts of Generation X as the first generation raised on television, by probing "the despair and paralysis that people feel in the face of having inherited this value system out of advertising". While the film divided contemporary critics, Norton's role was widely applauded. "Time" labeled him "excellent", and "Variety" was impressed by his embracing a range of techniques needed for his character. For his performance, Norton was nominated for Best Actor by the Online Film Critics Society. Despite a worse-than-expected performance at the box office, "Fight Club" has become a cult classic after its DVD release in 2000. In 2000, Norton made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy "Keeping the Faith", starring as a priest named Brian Finn. The film received mixed critical reviews. "The Dallas Morning News" praised his acting and labeled the movie "a smart directorial debut". "Entertainment Weekly" remarked that Norton's emergence as a director was decent, but criticized the plot because it "proposes heavy theological aims, then disavows any such thing". In 2001's heist film "The Score", Norton plays Jack Teller, an ambitious young thief caught in an unlikely alliance with experienced thief Nick Wells (Robert De Niro) arranged by his long-time friend Max (Marlon Brando). "The Score" and Norton's performance was well received. The "San Francisco Chronicle" observed that despite starring with screen legends De Niro and Brando, Norton was not overwhelmed and that his acting "outdoes even that of Brando".