It's all fantasy

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2008)

Finally saw the movie - it was one of five free blu-rays in a rebate with Sony Playstation.
Many comments wondered if it was real or not.
There are several giveaways that the murders were fantasies. Many times Bateman says things that are evil and violent to someone, but are heard by the recipient of the comments as something else.
The outright murders with no witnesses, blowing up the cops vehicles for an easy escape, dragging bodies and blood through lobbies, the cleaned up apartment with no dead bodies in sight, no investigators or police crime scene tape where there should have been, .... it goes on and on. Don't forget the final scene with his lawyer. The fantasies were manifested only in the notebook found in his desk by his secretary. I'm happy she was "spared".
I found the lack of pursuit by Willem Dafoe (the detective) to be a letdown. The initial questioning of Bateman was definitely right out of the original Psycho, and I found this confrontation as the start of a great "gonna getcha" in the end. But it never happened.
The only question is, why was a detective asking Bateman questions in the first place, or, was the idea of a missing colleague the spark for a fantasy, just shown after the fact.
I loved the business card one-upsmanship. It shows how shallow rich vice presidents (about a dozen were there?) are, and what losers they really are in life as people. Misery loves company, I guess. Reminded me a lot of the yuppies in Trading Places. Bored and prissy. Although they think they are living the "good life", but contribute nothing in the end.
It was a fun movie, probably sparks our fantasies about what we'd like to do with the scum of this earth - but that's why it's only a movie.