Best psycho killer movie

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2005)

Of all the psycho killer movies I've seen, this one tops the list. The best part is the dead pan acting by Christian Bale who portrays Patrick Bateman. He acts like he's a normal person, but it's clear that he's "not there" and thinking about psychotic things that's coming into his mind every minute. On the surface he's a successful yuppie bachelor who has everything one can wish for - a good job, high pay, good social life, and a successful career. The scariness of this movie is the contrast of this good life to the total mess that's going on inside his head. In the end a detective comes around looking for him for suspicion of killing his friend Paul Allen. He makes excuse that he heard Paul Allen say he's going to London while he knows he killed him. But then another friend says he saw Paul Allen in London. At this point Bateman's mind is so messed up that it's not clear anymore if he actually killed a person, or just killed him in his fantasy, and the fact that police is after him is no longer an issue because his mind is already in a far worse place than any prison.
Based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho is a great story because the contrast between the yuppie career of Patrick Bateman and his craziness is so far apart. If anyone has a choice between becoming a psycho killer or a successful businessman, no one will choose the psycho killer. But in Bateman's case, his insanity is so strong that despite his good position, he can't help keep on killing. The story portrays the double sided character of Bateman well, and Christian Bale does a fantastic job playing the character. A movie worth seeing.