Special Review
This review is a special request from Patreon supporter BodaciousCNO. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, click the button below. Visit PatreonIn 1991, novelist Bret Easton Ellis’ third novel, American Psycho, was published and immediately drew controversy from women’s rights groups. Many people condemned the book for its graphic violence and what they perceived as a misogynist view. Despite this, the book caught the attention of producer Edward R. Pressman, who purchased the film rights in 1992. Initially, the producers considered Stuart Gordon and David Cronenberg to direct, with Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt set to star. Eventually, they hired up-and-coming filmmaker Mary Harron, who received rave reviews for her debut feature, I Shot Andy Warhol. She brought on writing partner Guinevere Turner to helm the screenplay, eliminating any psychological backstory from the lead character. While the studio wanted a prominent actor like Leonard Di Caprio for the lead, Harron insisted on casting Christian Bale. With a $7 million budget, American Psycho hit the silver screen in April 2000.
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Synopsis
Investment banker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) spends much of his time keeping up appearances with his fellow Wall Street brokers. Despite hating most of them, Bateman wants to appear sophisticated and like a big shot to his peers. Though he has a fiance, Evelyn Williams (Reese Witherspoon), Bateman picks up some hookers, brutalizes them, and eventually kills them. He and his coworkers flaunt their business cards during a meeting when Paul Allen (Jared Leto) wows them with his. Enraged by this incident, his lifestyle, and getting a reservation at Dorsia, Bateman kills Allen while playing Huey Lewis. Later, private investigator Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe) interviews Bateman about Allen’s disappearance, and Bateman pretends not to know what happened. At a lunch meeting, Kimball tells Bateman that he’s no longer a suspect, which relieves him and makes him nervous. As his paranoia grows, Bateman’s sense of reality begins to crumble.
Review
American Psycho is a movie that is still relevant despite being set in the past, specifically the 1980s. While current audiences view that decade with nostalgia, this film almost seems like the antithesis of the time. This movie deconstructs all the excess, culture, and social status of the 1980s and shows its horror. The film exemplifies this through Bateman’s monologues about popular songs from Robert Palmer, Phil Collins, and Whitney Houston. When he’s discussing Phil Collins’ Sussudio, it sounds less like an academic dissertation and more like the liner notes. Much like the book, Harron can abruptly cut from these darkly comedic moments to the more gruesome scenes of murder. The violent, more horrific scenes starkly contrast the intentionally drab, almost hollow look of 1980s glamor. Ordinarily, these radical shifts in tone and genre would be a detriment, but here, it works perfectly.
Speaking of working perfectly, Christian Bale nails it as the psychopathic and hateful yet charming and suave Patrick Bateman. By all accounts, he’s a terrible person, but Bale injects so much life into his performance that you accept it. Bale can go from haunting to charming to deranged to panicked so effortlessly, and you buy every second of it. You’ve also got a great supporting cast: Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny, and Justin Theroux. Even minor appearances from Cara Seymour, Matt Ross, and co-writer Guinevere Turner stand out in their brief moments. Along with the catchy soundtrack, there’s also the haunting score by John Cale that contrasts perfectly with the upbeat songs. My only major complaint is that the movie can drag at times, and the ending will leave audiences confused. Overall, American Psycho is a hilariously frightening satire on 1980s culture punctuated by an iconic performance.
Buy American Psycho from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3z1xqqn.
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