You're so vain. You probably think this film is about you.

Rating: 10/10 (26 March 2007)

Who is Patrick Bateman?
A valid question for those reading this review. One must wonder if he is the socially elite of the New York business world, the prime example of an obsessive compulsive, or the face of evil itself with an endless expense account and an unquenched need to kill  kill  and kill again. Just like the illusive Tootsie-Roll Pop, the world may never know. Bret Easton Ellis penned him, director Mary Harron gave him the paved road, while Christian Bale gave us the face, the mannerisms, and the world of the unknown Bateman. For those unfamiliar, Bateman is a new sort of serial killer. Not quite the BTK or Bundy, but the terror certainly ranges from within. Living in a posh apartment, eating at the fanciest of restaurants, and enjoying all the pleasures of 1980s New York, Bateman struggles with himself and the need to kill time and time again. His victims, mostly prostitutes and business cohorts, suffer the worst (far worse in the book) punishments alive either from ax, nail gun, hanger, or the ever popular chainsaw. Pulling from pop culture, dark obsessions, and eerily our own desires, Bateman shows no conscious, no compassion, no rational thought for these crimes, he just kills and kills and kills.
Where this film takes a different element than you a-typical slasher film or horror genre is that midway through you begin to question the sanity of our anti-hero. Events transpire that catch both Bateman as well as the viewers off-guard. The biggest question is Paul Allen. The phenomenally understated Jared Leto delivers a mirror performance to Bale's as another suit in the business world. Due to accounts and business cards, Bateman dissolves the friendship  yet, everyone continues to see Allen walking the streets and having lunch with him. Even the detective hired for the case, one Donald Kimball (played by Willem Dafoe) seems to prove otherwise. Yet, something nags at our belief. This is only confirmed with an ending that will make you stop, rewind, and watch again. Questing everything from the mouth of Bateman, as well as his surroundings. Slasher film? Um, this reviewer would rather place it into the genre of self-discovery. There was a film entitled "What the Bleep Do We Know" that attempts to understand the meaning of life, but for me, "American Psycho" can do it like no other.
For anyone looking for that film that contains an amazing score, an ensemble of known actors giving us performances of a lifetime, and direction that both mimics and mocks the lifestyle in New York during the 80s  than "American Psycho" is the film for you. For me, I don't understand why it isn't further a staple of the film community. Christian Bale could not have been a better choice for the face of Bateman, his ability to transform himself into the character was outstanding. His character wasn't over the top, nor was it Bale being a character  he was Patrick Bateman. What is it with Bale  there hasn't been one underscored performance yet. "Batman Begins", "The Prestige", "Velvet Goldmine", and the "Machinist" are all within my top films of all time. "American Psycho" ranks above them all. Scenes, for me, that stand out are (2) major ones. The first, which proves that Mary Harron was the perfect choice to direct and that her decision to cast Jared Leto was directly on target is the scene with Leto and Bale as he prepares the ax and explains the lyrical juxtaposition of Huey Lewis. The language, the motions, and the choreography of the scene remains in my eyes, one of the strongest in cinema history. The second scene, while less cinematically inclined, is that of Bale running naked through the halls of his apartment, dawning only his tennis shoes (naked to the bone), with chain a-blazin' as he chases one of the escaping prostitutes. Again, maybe not the best in history, but a scene that constantly makes me laugh, shiver in terror, and remain in awe of the skill known as Christian Bale.
I would go so far as to say that this is a flawless film, though I must admit, the only issue that I have trouble with is the ever lacking bonus features on this disc. I have the original version released and it only has a handful of extras which are not anything to overly write about, but what ergs me is the ever lacking audio commentary that would have been great to hear about this story. Perhaps it would have included a bit more about the ending, less fog surrounding it, but not to worry  there is a newer version, the "Uncut Killer's Collector's Edition" that should remedy all of these missing elements.
Overall, "American Psycho" ranks among one of my favorite films of all time. While my list constantly grows, this remain a constant. I cannot speak any higher of Bale, or of Harron's direction which continues to impress me during each viewing. The music is what stood out in my eyes. There is a scene where someone laughs half-heartedly at a comment made by Bateman about liking Whitney Houston. I loved his interpretation of a Phil Collins song. It was these small elements that all came together perfectly for this film. "American Psycho" is a look within the business soul. As I watched this film, I thought of it as an extension to the "Wall Street" arm, could Gordon Gekko be Patrick's father? The insanity of New York, the pressures of working in a constantly obliterating corporate world, the standards of humanity  all blend together just far enough to make you question the existence of the man sitting next to you. For anyone who has ever worked for Corporate America  this is the film for you.
Now, I gotta go return some videos.
Grade: ***** out of *****