Brilliant film for a brilliant novel!!

Rating: 9/10 (29 August 2001)

First, I saw "American Psycho" at the cinema. I found the film weird but brilliant, because I liked the way the US society was criticized.

Then, I took the novel "American Psycho" of Bret Easton Ellis and I read it in a few days, because I couldn't get away from that book. I really enjoyed reading the novel, so I decided to rent the film and watch it again, in order to compare between the movie and the book, looking for parts of the novel not included in the film.
My big surprise when I realized that most of the dialogues in the movie were exactly the same words in the book (this explains that "deja vu" sensation I had reading the book ^_^). And that's a thing that doesn't normally happen. Just read Michael Crichton's "Lost World" and compare it with the film... You'll see what I mean...
"American Psycho" shows to the audience the emptiness of the society, the wisdom's mask that everybody wear to hide our darkest side. But for Patrick Bateman, a 27 year-old handsome guy, it's getting really tough to keep that mask on... But Patrick Bateman is not a poor worker, or a homeless: he works at Wall Street and earns $200.000 a year. In a world of expensive restaurants, night parties, cocaine, top models and lots of money, Bateman realizes how empty his life is.
The film is truely an exercise of style, a mixture of comedy, thriller and terror. Christian Bale is outstanding as Patrick Bateman, he steals all the interpretation in the film. Willem Dafoe and Jared Leto are also there, but they don't shine like Bale.
All the Bateman's monologues are incredible, literally taken from the Bret Easton Ellis' book. And the soundtrack is brilliant too. If you like 80's-early 90's music, prepare to listen to Phil Collins, Huey Lewis and the News, Withney Houston and many more!
Just an advice: read the book, then watch the money, you will enjoy it much more! 9 out of 10