Wonderful, but not what I expected

Rating: 7/10 (12 April 2000)

Having heard all of the hype about the twisted violence and sick imagery of the book, I was very curious as to how I would react to this movie. Movie violence usually doesn't bother me, but on occasion, I have been incredibly disturbed (example - "I Spit On Your Grave" which I could not sit through again). Here, though, I was very surprised to see very little violence, suspense or blood. This so-called "sick" movie was not sick at all. Despite not being scared, I thought that the movie did a wonderful job at satirizing the business world in the late 1980's (and it featured a great sound track of 80's music!). When I walked out, I was feeling a bit disappointed - not just by the under usage of the immensely talented Reese Witherspoon and Chloe Sevigny - but by the story itself. I wanted to know more. But the more I thought about it on the way home, the more I liked the way the movie handled the story. It really made me think, and it featured some very interesting twists. In addition, Christian Bale was absolutely mesmerizing in the title role. So although it was nothing like I expected, I thought that the movie was very well-done in other respects. 7/10