Brilliant adaption of a very transgressive novel

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2017)

I remember when the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis was first released. It caused huge amounts of controversy on account of its scenes of extreme violence which were considered to be very misogynistic. So much so, that someone even worked out that an anagram of the author's name was 'to sell be nastier'! I ended up reading the book myself and it is true that the acts of violence get progressively more and more extreme and grim, they are disturbing for sure. But it was also equally true that this was a highly satirical work of the blackest comedy.
The film version came along after quite a long genesis and naturally it got people wondering how such a book could possibly be made without being banned in almost every territory on Earth. As it turned out, the film version was a very clever interpretation of the novel which wisely understood that it could not possibly depict the violent excesses of the novel in their undiluted form but instead deftly finds ways to get around this. The ultimate result in my view is one of the few examples where the movie matches up to the novel.
Set in the late 80's Manhattan the film centres on Patrick Bateman, who by day is a narcissistic Wall Street yuppie who is obsessed with success, fashion and expensive restaurants, and who by night is a serial killer. By focusing on this character the story is perfectly positioned to become a satire of 80's America and the greed and selfishness that is synonymous with certain subcultures of that era. Bale himself is emotionally sterile, he has lots of money, an expensive apartment and a beautiful fiancé but he is utterly shallow and devoid of taste. Some of the funniest scenes focus on these aspects of his character such as when he hilariously offers up his opinions on his favourite music, giving detailed, yet inane, analysis on the very mainstream 80's acts Phil Collins, Whitney Houston and Huey Lewis and the News. In another brilliant, telling scene Bateman and several of his peers compare business cards; as Bateman eyes each, practically identical, card you can sense his discomfort that his card might not be 'the best'. This scene is presented like it's a highly suspenseful revelation from a thriller and is played completely straight. That's what makes it so funny because it is negligible subjects such as the font of a business card that truly are the things of paramount importance in the world of Bateman and his cronies.
It has to be said here that Christian Bale in the title role is nothing short of a revelation. It's one of my all-time favourite performances from any actor and it really showcases what a brilliant talent he is; he completely nails this character in a way that honestly feels like it could not have been improved by anyone else. Much credit also must go to director Mary Harron who has taken on a pretty challenging project in trying to adapt such a novel. There is no question in my mind that she has succeeded better than could ever have been expected. The film has to tone things down for sure but it still contains some pretty disturbing scenes nevertheless; but the focus is more squarely on the satirical elements of the story and those are explored very well indeed. In the final analysis, I would recommend both reading the book and watching the movie, as both are very high calibre examples of their type.