As confused as the protagonist!

Rating: Null/10 (28 March 2003)

*Contains some spoilers*
This film will divide many audiences (and quite deservedly)but it is definitely a must see, even if you do end up hating it.
Patrick Bateman is the epitome of 1980s self-obessession- hes obsessed with his body, his looks, his image... and his business cards. However nobody appears to care- as they are all too self obsessed themselves, even to the point when Patrick says to somebody that he's in to "murders and executions", without them batting an eyelid. So why does he bother? Well, thats for the audience to decide... and their decision to the answer is a frenetic one.
Despite all that I've said, I didn't like this film. I found its messages all too obvious and whiney and the character of Patrick Bateman as more of a self-parody than anything else. But maybe thats the point of the film?

That said, there is much to recommend it, most notably Christian Bale's depiction of nut-job Bateman. He has many good lines throughout the movie, and is as good as any anti-hero you're likely to get in a mainstream Hollywood film like this. Also the scenes with the two prostitutes are hilarious. I especially like the moment, where his idea of pillow talk involves chatting about how Phil Collins made Genesis one of his favourite bands. The conclusion also must be taken with a pinch of salt- although it does seem to be too much like Taxi Driver for my liking (the classic did he or didn't he do it situation).
However overall this movie seems like a wasted opportunity- as a satire it seems as shallow and underdeveloped as its central character and not half as much fun. It could have been profound. What it is, as it stands, is so awful its quite good- in a trashy way of course