Good movie about a man who blurs between reality and fantasy

Rating: 7/10 (14 July 2017)

American Psycho's story is about a young banker named Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) who at age 27 has it all: a high position in his dad's company, a very expensive apartment in the heart of New York City, he's very handsome, is engaged to a beautiful woman (with a few girls on the side..) and he likes to kill random people because he likes it... Yes our Patrick is actually very unhappy about his life and claims he doesn't feel empathy or love at all. He's so out of touch with humanity that several people mistake him for someone else, even people he knows for years. His only escape out of his life of wealth and power are his fantasies of sex and violence and acting out on it. But how long can he go on without people suspecting something? Or is everyone so busy with boosting their own ego's that they fail to notice that there is a psycho in their midst?
This movie does a good job in displaying how a mind as twisted as Patrick Bateman works and how he is on a downward spiral as the lines between his violent dreams and reality get more and more blurry. I was impressed with Bale's performance, especially the scene where he breaks down and calls his lawyer and when he is going full blown crazy running around with a chainsaw. The rest of the cast also does a fine job in portraying the rich snobs and dumb girls that circle around Bateman. The only voice of reason and the only person who shows empathy is Bateman's secretary (excellent performance by Chloe Sevigny), I really liked her role in the movie.
The movie started a bit slow though, the first 45 minutes could be chopped in half because some parts don't add much and are a bit dragged out. It also didn't feel like the 1980's, I was often wondering what the time period was supposed to be, despite the excellent 80's soundtrack. And I couldn't help but compare this movie with another story about a psychopath: Clockwork Orange, one of my favorite movies of all time. But I guess it takes a movie maker like Kubrick to really show how the mind of a psycho works. But like clockwork orange, this movie ending get's you thinking. It leaves it up to the viewer how to interpret-ate the events that happened.
So all in all a good movie with a great performance of Christian Bale. Definitely check it out if you like movies about crazy people and don't mind a few violent/sexual scenes.