Superb!

Rating: 8/10 (25 April 2010)

Having now read the book twice and seen the film three times I thought it about time to put my thoughts down in black and white. The short of it is that I loved this film; just when you think you have it sussed out it throws another curve ball at you.
I don't intend to spend much time considering the plot or the well known themes and questions it throws up (the blending into society, the facelessness of individuality, the materialism and commercialism of modern life etc etc) as these have been covered splendidly in the FAQ section and I could not do them any further justice.
My personal, humble opinion it is all in his head; the ending of the book "This Is Not An Exit" seemed to me to suggest that his fantasy's were a way out of the mundaity and blandness of his existence. Having said that each time I watch the film or reconsider the book I am left with that grey area that at least some of it may have been very real and then wondering which parts may and may not have been!!
I watched the film having read the book first (as I am sure many others will have done). What struck me was the skill with which the very dense, at times difficult to read dialogue had been condensed into a screenplay that very strongly retained the overriding themes of the book. The style of the film captured perfectly the scenery created by the extremely (overly?) descriptive prose in the book and at no time did it feel rushed. At no time did I think that more should have been included; the choices made when preparing the screenplay (i.e. what to include and what to leave out) were spot on and the focus on Bateman himself with less concentration on the peripheral characters in his life worked perfectly (these were, in fact, the parts of the book that felt contrived and out of place so I was happy with the choices for this reason as well).
It amused me sincerely that the film was adapted and directed by a female. After all the furore by silly feminist women who clearly did not understand the satire in the book and who chose to concentrate on the graphic depiction of violence against women it must be great for Brett Easton Ellis to be able to say "F*** you" to them. This film and the book before it are not about gratuitous violence. The story is about greed, about jealously, about psychosis, about a person lost in a myriad of similarity where you cannot break out even if you try and even if those attempts are bloody, violent and evil. There are so many layers to the story that to dismiss it as a one dimensional attempt to shock is doing it a massive disservice. And I think (hope) that anyone watching the film will realise this.
Onto the performances. Christian Bale is, as ever, superb. I am a massive fan of his (apart from Terminator - is it not enough that you're Batman!!) and always look forward to watching his films. He is at his very best here. Batemans facade is slowly slipping as his private world of madness seeps into his personal world and Bale pulls this off with the subtlest of changes in his facial expressions and demeanour. The two telephone conversations (first to his lawyer, second to his secretary) towards the end of the film show the full extent of his psychosis and the fact that his mask has well and truly slipped. The realisation that he has got away with it (and more importantly will continue to get away with it) and his pulling himself back together at the end of the film are all, again, acted perfectly. Contrast the character at the start of the film with that at the end, consider the "journey" he has been on and everything in between and then think about how another, less skilled actor could have killed this film. Without Bale this film would not have worked. He IS Patrick Bateman and that is the skill and talent that I so greatly admire.
The supporting cast are fine if not a little bland. Reese Witherspoon is wasted and Batemans colleagues are given very little screen time but therein, I suppose, lies the point. This is a film about an egotistical, maniacal loner who has no love for humanity in any way, shape or form. It seems only right that the relationships he so clearly has no yearning for are not fleshed out any further. Still, it would have been nice to have had a little more depth and a further half hour or so would have done the world of good and probably pushed this into the higher regions of scoring.
As it is this is a really, really enjoyable film that works on so many levels. You will enjoy it as a stand alone film given the performances, writing and direction but those who want to think about it further and make their own judgement on the questions will have plenty to keep them busy.
Highly recommended.