American Psycho Movie Review:


Bret Easton Ellis' graphic novel is given the film treatment, telling the story of a serial killer hiding in the consumerism of the eighties. Patrick Bateman is a yuppie who has everything. A great job, a nice apartment, a fiancé, nice skin and he even has his business card printed the way he likes it. He hides a very dark side however, which is about to break out and plunge him into very dark and bloody times.

Point one: American Psycho is a satire. It is a very black comedy but it is a comedy nonetheless. If you go in knowing this, it may take the edge off of it a little. If you take it any other way, you're going to be offended. I know this for a fact. But don't deny yourself this movie because it is so good. How many movies can you see someone being murdered while the killer wears a yellow raincoat telling his potential victim about the merits of Huey Lewis and the News.

Don't get me wrong. This is a disturbing film. There is a lot in here that, if taken literally, could show a lot of underlying hatred and disrespect to women and a whole host of other things. I cannot comment on the book but from what I have heard, it is graphic and overblown which led me to think going into watching this movie, I was going to be sickened by what I was about to sit through. But I was caught completely off guard.

There is one thing in particular that makes the movie and the director must be applauded for fighting for the one thing that made this movie so good…Christian Bale. He is both chilling and charming, sardonic and satanic, but above all else, he brings so much humour to the character that it is impossible not to like him. Not to say that is the same as condoning his behaviour but the wit in this film is just so dry it is impossible not to laugh at times when you really shouldn't be laughing. The ongoing joke with the business cards is tremendous. All I can say is, thank God Leonardo DiCaprio did not get this role, for it would have been a great injustice. Bale was made for this role…which is also a disturbing thing. At least he has a career to fall back on If the acting doesn't work out. The supporting cast is also incredible. A special mention must go to Chloe Sevigny as Bateman's secretary, Jean.

Mary Harron was a superb choice of director. She tackles the subject matter head on in her script and I am ashamed to say this but it still surprises me that American Psycho was directed by a woman. I have to say, if it had been directed by a man it would probably have fallen apart and lost whatever it is that makes this 97 minutes such compulsive viewing. And it just looks fantastic. Such imagination has gone into a lot of the framing. And the

What is particularly well handled is the director's ability to blur the line between reality and surrealism. Watching this, you can be asking yourself if this is really happening. Were the eighties really this bad?

So my final words in relation to this film is as follows. If you think you can handle it, please don't deny yourself the pleasure of watching this. If you are easily offended, watch it anyway. If you're going to be offended, it may as well be worth your while. This is a very dark, funny and uneasy viewing experience. Totally recommended.

David McCulloch

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