American Psycho Review

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2020)

The film American Psycho, which was directed by Mary Harron, focuses on the life of the character of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Bateman is a wealthy vice president of an investment bank on Wall Street, who is also an unknown serial killer to others. He and the people in his wealthy inner circle mainly focus on the materialistic things in life, such as exclusive dinner reservations, expensive clothing, and the status of their business cards. Patrick Bateman has urges to murder innocent people for little to no reason, which leads to him going on a killing spree throughout New York city. He confesses these murders to his lawyer, Harold Carnes, but the confession is not taken seriously and his lawyer acts like nothing happened.
Christian Bale does a great job of fulfilling the role of Patrick Bateman, expressing a wide range of multiple different personalities and ultimately acting as a "psycho". The way the film was shot and composed presents the story and characters in an anticipating way, wanting to know what will happen next. Most of the different camera shots made sense for each scene, including the main focus of the subject(s). The transitions between sequences are smooth and often include music that would either counter or compliment the theme of the upcoming scenes. Dark and slow paced scenes were used to create suspense and give the viewer a feeling of fear based on the vengeful acts of Patrick Bateman. The dialogue between most of the characters is shallow and concise, but gives enough detail to continue the story. The way that the script was written helps support the different sides and personalities Bateman has, such as in one scene, he was talking to his colleagues and seemed to be acting normal, but after they were showing their business cards he had a short temper and walked out. The actors and script also give a sense of the other characters and their personalities. The other main actors, such as the characters in Bateman's inner circle, give us the sense of actually listening to a conversation between wealthy New York businessmen. Including the actors and script, the composition of the scenes are very detailed and set with a specific vision to follow the plot. In comparison, the film Scream directed by Wes Craven, gives the feeling of horror and fear as well as American Psycho, although it is easier to realize it is fiction. The way that American Psycho gives more of a realism factor is based on the plot of a wealthy businessman living in New York City, it is not expected for someone matching this description to be a serial killer.
Overall, the film American Psycho is a movie that I would watch again at some point. The plot is interesting and maintains focus throughout, with senses of humor, fear and anticipation. The composition of the visuals is also an important and impressive part of this film, maintaining interest and entertainment during the whole duration of the film. The direction of Mary Harron was very thought out and brings the story and plot of the film to life.