American Psycho [R]

Patrick Bateman is a handsome, intelligent, rich Wall Street executive by day, and a bloodthirsty serial killer by night. As he gets older, his mental instability strengthens and soon he discovers that he no longer has any control over his actions and bloodlust. 

Based on the controversial bestseller by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho is a fantastic psychological thriller that keeps on you on the edge of your seat and leaves you scratching your head and trying to make sense of it all. Filled with violence, sex, action, and suspense, it’s a fantastic film that has rightly become a cult classic. 

Patrick Bateman is a handsome, fit, highly intelligent, and rich Wall Street executive by day, and a bloodthirsty, sexually ravenous serial killer by night. As he progresses through life, his mental instability strengthens and suddenly he discovers that he no longer has any control over his vicious actions and bloodlust. Trapped in a lethal frenzy, Patrick can no longer differentiate his day life from his night, and his panic and murderous tendencies soon escalate into a massacre that he fears he won’t be able to get away with. 

This movie leaves you speechless, mainly because you’re sitting there trying to understand what just happened. It really leaves you feeling unenlightened and bewildered, which is why it’s such a great flick. A wonderful example of plot misdirection, American Psycho personally follows the “hero”, Bateman, and shows audiences events that he perceives to happen. The audience, along with the hero, are then violently jolted back to reality, but left confused and disillusioned. It really brings a whole new meaning to “relating to the film’s hero”. 

Scattered throughout the movie, to play against the violence and suspense, are wonderful moments of dark comedy and enlightening philosophy, mainly manifesting themselves in the form of Bateman analysing and discussing certain artists and albums that he owns and enjoys. It brings a nice breath of fresh air to clear the smell of blood and sinisterness. 

Christian Bale stars as Patrick Bateman and he was brilliant. Being a very handsome man with a great body, he already has that going for him, but what I love is the way that the camera loves him. He’s like a mermaid or the snake hidden under the bush of roses. On the surface he is charming, handsome, and approachable, but underneath there is something sinister about him. In a fair few of the films of his that I’ve seen, he does have a touch of the sinister about him, which made him perfect for this movie. He delivered a performance that was charming, witty, envious, darkly funny, violent, chilling, and wonderfully moving. I just love Christian Bale. 

Starring Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, and Chloe Sevigny, American Psycho is a fantastically dark movie filled with action, bloodshed, sex, murder, violence, dark comedy, and suspense. It’s a real cult classic. 

I feel lethal. On the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.