AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)
Greed is good. The 1980's taught us that, Gordon Gecko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street preached it. American Psycho's Patrick Bateman lives in this flashy 1980's world; towards the end of the decade, with his love for Huey Lewis and Genesis. But Patrick Bateman is a monster behind his calm, cool and faux persona. He's a killer, he loves to kill. Slaughtering homeless people and chasing prostitutes through his apartment with a chainsaw and nothing on but sneakers. Mary Haron's 2000 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 novel American Psycho is a hypnotic essay on greed and 1980's hedonism, but with an underlining satiric bite.
American Psycho is not a straight thriller. If you view this film as that, Christian Bale's overly cheesy faces and comments will appear just that: overly cheesy. But the satiric undertones of Ellis's novel remind us that the Patrick Bateman the rest of the world sees is a facade. He tells us himself, that there is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, but he is only an entity. His routine is meticulous, he remains composed and charming at day, but when the sun sets he must sate his bloodlust and murder. Paul Allen (Jared Leto) is one such of his many victims, whom he explains his fondness of Huey Lewis and the New's "undisputed masterpiece" Fore before brutally murdering Allen with an axe. Into the picture comes Detective Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe), and with supposed paranoia that his dark nights may become unvealed, Patrick becomes increasingly unnerved, and unable to contain his bloodlust.
American Psycho is not a straight thriller. If you view this film as that, Christian Bale's overly cheesy faces and comments will appear just that: overly cheesy. But the satiric undertones of Ellis's novel remind us that the Patrick Bateman the rest of the world sees is a facade. He tells us himself, that there is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, but he is only an entity. His routine is meticulous, he remains composed and charming at day, but when the sun sets he must sate his bloodlust and murder. Paul Allen (Jared Leto) is one such of his many victims, whom he explains his fondness of Huey Lewis and the New's "undisputed masterpiece" Fore before brutally murdering Allen with an axe. Into the picture comes Detective Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe), and with supposed paranoia that his dark nights may become unvealed, Patrick becomes increasingly unnerved, and unable to contain his bloodlust.
Bale's performance is cold but humorous, we see hints of the suavness he'd later bring to Bruce Wayne, and his ability to switch from cold emotionless to maniacally blood-crazed is one of American Psycho's strong suits, among a plethora of things going for it. The film may not entirely capture Ellis's commentary, but Mary Haron's adaptation is a suitably violent and satirical portrait of 1980's greed and hedonism. We see Patrick's assimilation into the "yuppie" society, but also his disdain for the yuppie "scum", sprawled in blood on his walls; that his exchanges of business cards and mistaken identity of Marcus Halberstram are a facade to keep his murderous streak in check. He does not like his "friends", he does not want to marry his fiancee Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon), but his conversations with her, particularly when he's trying to listen to the new Robert Palmer early in the film, he tells her he "just wants to fit in".
It is only when Kimball appears that he fears for his facade and that he will finally be caught. His cold emotionless ruse slowly degrades as the film progresses, he can barely compose himself when he is with his "friends", and his nighttime blood sprees become more frequent and more deranged. When he confesses to everything to his lawyer, fearing the revelation of his role in Paul Allen's murder; Patrick is stunned when his lawyer thinks he is making everything up as some morbid joke, he realises that he will continue to get away with his murderous ways without reprisal, even though he probably deserves it.
It is only when Kimball appears that he fears for his facade and that he will finally be caught. His cold emotionless ruse slowly degrades as the film progresses, he can barely compose himself when he is with his "friends", and his nighttime blood sprees become more frequent and more deranged. When he confesses to everything to his lawyer, fearing the revelation of his role in Paul Allen's murder; Patrick is stunned when his lawyer thinks he is making everything up as some morbid joke, he realises that he will continue to get away with his murderous ways without reprisal, even though he probably deserves it.
American Psycho is the epitome of a cult film, it was almost completely ignored when it was first released in 2000, but it gave us the first indication that Christian Bale was a talented screen presence, and it was also the first time Bret Easton Ellis' work had been adapted for screen. There is an absolutely pointless and unconnected sequel, but for the 2000 original, it remains one of the most entertaining and well-written films of the last twenty years.
The Verdict: American Psycho is an undeniable cult classic; slick, satirical and surprisingly funny, with a star making performance from Christian Bale as the compellingly evil Patrick Bateman
The Verdict: American Psycho is an undeniable cult classic; slick, satirical and surprisingly funny, with a star making performance from Christian Bale as the compellingly evil Patrick Bateman
★★★★
4/5
4/5