great film, ambiguous ending

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2002)

This has been a favourite of mine for a while. Ever since reading the book in 1999, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this picture and I must say I was in no way disappointed. There were many names thrown around for the role of Patrick Bateman; and I must say if Leonardo DiCaprio had have got the part as originally intended, I may have had to boycott the film! Don't get me wrong, as pretty boy Romeo, or a similar role in Titanic as Jack, that is fine. But this role required a strong performance, and that is what it got perfectly in Christian Bale.
Bale plays Bateman perfectly. In fact, better than that, he is Patrick Bateman. His dry wit, intelligence and also his psychotic side shine through brilliantly. The supporting cast is equally impressive. Chloe Sevigny as his lovestruck secretary is fantastic, and William Dafoe as the snooping cop is actually quite unnerving.
However, aside from Bale's performance, it is the direction which really carries this movie. Mary Harron has gone for the approach of 'less is more', merely suggesting gruesome acts of violence as opposed to showing them.
What causes some confusion with this film is the ending. I must say that it is open to individual interpretation, but I have my own theory. Bateman actually did carry out the murders, but this , like anything, was hidden behind a good reputation and money. The estate agent at the end tells him just to leave because they have disposed of the bodies, as if the true story had been made public, then the value of the property would have plummeted. Hell, he had been confused as Halberstram a few times, so his attorney had mistaken someone for Paul Owen, when he said he had lunch with him.
But that is just my theory, and it is one of the things that makes this movie so great, the chance to draw your own conclusions.

I recommend this movie to anyone interested in an intelligent, absorbing story which is made believable and all the more terrifying by terrific performances and faultless direction.
9.5/10 (no movie is perfect!)