I am just not there

Rating: 9/10 (18 March 2010)

American Psycho is one of those movies that will leave the critics divided. Is a kind of movie that if you don't get the point of what's going on you are just going to think about it as an awful mess. I got the point ( i mean i read Bret Easton Ellis's book, but i read it long after i watched and loved the movie) and i loved it. Christian Bale (who i might say is one of the best, if not the best, actors currently working) does a great job playing socialite Patrick Bateman, who's only obsessions in life are taking extremely good care of himself (using a large variety of beauty products, obsessively working out, etc.), going to the bests night clubs and restaurants, and last but not least, satisfying his increasing homicidal impulses. In fact early in the movie we see that Patrick Bateman isn't at all how he wants to be seen by his peers (he is shown as a charming stock broker who has friends and a girlfriend), in fact he is an increasingly psychotic homicidal man who is so bored with his yuppie lifestyle that the only way he feels alive and really feels in touch with the world that surrounds him is by engaging in disturbing and gruesome murders. The worst part is that even with his increasingly chaotic and erratic behavior, he seems more aware about the disconnection from humanity that this yuppie lifestyle gives to the people in it than his peers (theres is a scene in which Patrick and his friends are literally drooling over some presentation cards). I don't think that Harron's approach to the story is at all perfect (having already read the book), and as i said is a pretty tough story to understand. But in her defense, one of the greatest things of a story like American psycho is that you have to keep an open mind to see beyond the violence and the massacres, which also happens while reading the book. As i said Bale's performance is just plain excellent, it might seem over the top sometimes, but believe me, thats Patrick Bateman: a man constantly over the edge of psychotic boredom who could snap at any moment. The funny thing is that their co-workers are so clueless about everything and so self-centered that they don't seem to realize the homicidal maniac they have next door (not even by the fact Patrick sometimes playfully confesses his urges to them). Bale deserved at least Oscar buzz for this role, he is just plain perfect. As a side note, i hope Hollywood starts rewarding him for his carefully methodical performances or he could easily become the next Jeff bridges (a great actor whose every performances are nearly flawless but doesn't get the recognition he deserves): i know Bridges won the Oscar this year, but it was long overdue. The supporting cast is very good too. By playing clueless and self centered characters the wrong actor might look stiff, but the cast does a great job with their roles. Chloe Sevigny, willem Dafoe, Josh Lucas,.. All the cast do a great job with their respective roles. All in all is a great movie, and one of my all time favorites. Is the kind of movie in which with every new viewing you start noticing new elements and themes that are being developed and satirized. Great Performances, Extremely great cult classic.