Totally agree that they marketed this film wrong. I had the impression it was some dumb fighting film, the sort of film that I have little to no interest in, then I decided to give it a watch as I had nothing better to do, and realised that I was grossly mistaken. Absolutely fantastic film and one I rewatch regularly (the commentary on the DVD is quite illuminating and fun, too).
Yeah, the three main actors (Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter) play their parts perfectly, and the direction just adRAB to it.
BTW, can there be a "Godwin's Law" against the use of the word "pretentious". It's just such a hackneyed word that tenRAB to mean that the one reviewing the film found that it was a bit above their station, but that their pride just won't admit to that being the case.