Review of American Psycho (2000) by Norman B — 29 Sep 2013

With a chiseled chin and physique, Patrick Bateman is a well groomed man and also the ideal serial killer. Bateman takes pathological pride in his business card and his CD collection all while plotting his next victim's murder. It's hard being Patrick Bateman. Strive as he might to do the right thing, it's not clear anyone's taking any notice. 'I like to dissect girls. Did you know I'm utterly insane?' he says to a bartender, but she doesn't even blink. And there are already enough unblinking Manhattan people filling his steel fridge. Writer/director Mary Harron has sensibly excised the gratuitous gore.

A provocative socio-psychological satire balanced tantalizingly on the cusp of chilly horror and outrageous comedy. Bateman may be the (barely) human face of a particularly '80s brand of narcissism and materialist feeling empty inside, but he's also a spoilt guy without cause or taste. And while the production relies on '80s period trappings for much of its humor, Bateman's hollow obsession with body and status are hardly bygone phenomena. The film is very creepy and unsettling, but at the same time entertaining. Christian Bale nails Bateman with a crazy insane dead eyed and deadpan performance that will make you feel uncomfortable throughout the film.