A brilliant dark satire

Rating: 10/10 (8 February 2001)

After reading so many bad reviews from people who obviously didn't get this film at all, I feel I have to set the record straight. American Psycho is a satire. A very dark and horrific satire, but still a satire.
American Psycho, the book, is the most mind-blowing piece of fiction I have ever read. It is a very cleverly written book, yet the violence depicted is so explicit that I found it hard to continue reading in parts. The film is only for those with thick skin, but compared to the book, its Disney.
Those who criticize the film for not being as violent as the book obviously fail to realize that if it was, it would have been banned in every country on the planet. While the majority of violence happens off-screen, I don't feel that this is in any way a disgrace to the book.
The best part of American Psycho is not the violence (which serves mainly as a distraction), but the narrative from Bateman, and the opportunity to go inside his head as see what pushes him over the edge. Patrick Bateman is a very wealthy, handsome, young, intelligent Wall St yuppie in the late 80's, who seemingly has everything. So the question put to the viewer is: What would turn a man like Bateman into such an angry, evil, sadistic psychopath? The answer is: The society and people around him.
Bateman's world, and that of his friend's, who all share similar lifestyles to him, is one that is dominated by image, one-upsmanship, and, most importantly, rampant materialism. From the examining of business cards, to demanding of having reservations at top restaurants even when not hungry, to Bateman's flawless knowledge of fine business suits, it is the never ending excessive materialism of the New York yuppie which drives Bateman insane. As Christian Bale quoted of his character "with Bateman the clothes really do make the man".
While Bateman comes off as a completely ruthless man who is a master of everything in his environment, in reality its completely different. The materialism which consumes Bateman and his friends, also leaves them nameless. Often, Bateman is mistaken for someone else by a colleague of his. It is only Bateman's bloodlust which makes him feel like an individual.
For those who have never read the book, and watch this movie for the first time the twist at the end (the most redeeming twist ever) may seem ridiculous. However, this is a film that when watched for a 2nd time will make complete sense. There are so many subtle hints throughout this movie (such as in the opening titles when what appears to be dripping blood in fact turns out the be decorative sauce on one of Bateman's ultra expensive power lunches) that will seem so obvious the 2nd time, but were understandably ignored the 1st time around when confronted by Bateman's violence. Remember, this entire film is narrated though the eyes of Bateman, so things are not always as they seem.
All in all this was an amazing film. The acting was flawless. Christian Bale absolutely stole this show. To get inside Bateman's head and do it this convincingly was quite a feat .The imagery was deceptive and clever, and the musical score fitted the film perfectly.
10/10 - the best film of 2000

p.s. does anyone else find it extremely difficult to even imagine Leonardo DiCaprio playing Patrick Bateman? No way could he have pulled this off.