American Psycho - the book (1991) and the movie (2000)

Rating: Null/10 (18 June 2004)

While I believe that the book is masterfully written, I kept asking myself when I was reading it whether Ellis had a deal with the Devil - who dictated to him the confessions of the worst serial killer ever.

I do not think that there is one woman in the world who would enjoy that book; I also believe that there are not too many men either. To admire it, to respect it - yes but to enjoy it...
It is a brilliant description of the 80-th - you can hear them, see them, almost touch them, they practically scream at you from the pages; and dark portrait of the 80-th golden boy who went on the rampage.

Well, there was one woman, Mary Harron, who liked and respected AP so much that she decided to transform it to the screen - and it worked. She cut down on the gore and sex and concentrated on the satire. I liked the film when I saw it first time; I love it now after the second viewing. Surprisingly restrained and funny - it has one of the best scenes I've seen in the films lately - the war of credit cards.
The show belongs to Christian Bale - and he delivers as Patrick Bateman, the rich and beautiful 26 year old Wall Street banker with the secrets so dark that he makes Dr. Lector look like a Sesame Street character. Bale's cold, charismatic, misogynist turn is riveting. His James Bondian-esque face changes to the devilish mask with the reptilian eyes so rapidly, that your blood would freeze.