Read the book first

Rating: 6/10 (13 August 2000)

Now, I haven't read the Bret Easton Ellis novel on which this film is based. I thought I should get that right out in the open to start with. Because many of you may wish to stop reading this review right now, because I didn't really like American Psycho, but I somehow think that would be different if Ihad read the book first.
This film has been out for a week or so now; even earlier if you caught it at the various film festivals around the country. I rose out my lethargy to write a review of this film after reading Malcolm Knox's excellent article on the book and film in last Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum liftout. Dig it out and have a read, it is quite interesting.
Anyway, as I said, the book looks like it might be a pre-requisite for not only viewing, but enjoying this rather black thriller/comedy. It uses the old Kubrick standby of making lots of things very white and contrasted, the direct opposite to what is being portrayed in the film.
So what do we have? We have a yuppie, Patrick Bateman, going quietly mad with all the corporate life swimming around him. And he just snaps and starts killing people. Or does he?
The beauty of this film is that the ambiguity over the deaths is left right until the end, to allow the viewer the chance to fully wallow in the murderous spree Bateman revels in, without the distraction of thinking "now did that happen or not?".
To give him his worth, Christian Bale is quite good as the killer; a well mannered, precise kind of 80's music loving guy who suddenly starts having a lot of bad days.
He typifies in all of us perhaps what we would like to do in real life. Who can honestly say that at some point in their lives they haven't wanted to kill a work colleague? Without getting too much into Monty Python territory here I will leave it at that.
As I said, I truly believe an appreciation of the book is important to the enjoyment of this film, even if you just read some well researched reviews of it first. Check out the SMH one, it is great!
6 out of 10.