Well worth watching

Rating: 7/10 (20 March 2005)

American Psycho really struck a chord with me when i first saw it at the theater when it came out in 2000. And after seeing it a couple of times more on DVD i can say that the fascination still lives.
I wouldn't call myself a fan of the Brett Easton Ellis book that this movie is based on. While i felt the book did have it's points, i was put off by the overly crude descriptions of violence. While i understood the points Ellis' was trying to make i thought it was excessive and not at all to my tastes. Also the book became somewhat tedious in it's descriptions of pop culture and 1980's phenomena.
The movie however i feel has removed much of what put me off with the book. The brutal violence and gore is toned down (but still present enough to get the point through i think) and the references to 1980's culture are more easily and quickly done in the format of a movie. In this way i felt the satire was more pure and focused in the movie, of course many people are likely to think that the experience is diluted because much of the extreme aspects are gone. I do not, however, share this view.
The first aspect of the movie that strongly appealed to me was Christian Bale. He's just perfect as the well-cut, rich, successful and utterly insane yuppie Patrick Bateman. The casting overall is excellent, but i must say Bale stands out as something of a sensation.
I have seen a lot of discussion on many different message boards about whether the murders in this movie were real, or if they were just a figment of Batemans imagination. My return question is immediately: does it matter? Bret Easton Ellis was on to something when he wrote his book, and that point is further refined here. In a world where every man just cares for himself, and nobody cares about anyone else, it's possible to get away with almost anything. For instance ripping a company apart leaving thousands without a job, or maybe even murder... The idea of the psychopath being allowed to do whatever he pleases without punishment, be it physical or economical harm. To me the concept is what's interesting, not whether he did it or not. The fact that he had fantasies about doing it is enough, the only thing really stopping him was his own inhibitions. Getting away with it was the least of the problems for one who was so inclined.
I think that American Psycho will appeal to many people for many different reasons. Some people will see it as plain comedy, others will recognize it more for what it is. I found it interesting and well worth watching, no matter if you have read the book or not. I rate it 7/10.