The opposite of "Deathwish"

Rating: 6/10 (7 October 2012)

"American Psycho" (2000) didn't look like a promising film for me. On the surface, the plot is essentially the reverse of "Deathwish." In "Deathwish" a respectable citizen in New York City forsakes the law to secretly kill criminal scumbags in the name of justice; in "American Psycho" a scumbag in New York City masquerades as a respectable citizen while secretly murdering innocent people.
I didn't think I'd like this film because the main character is, well, an American psycho (Christian Bale), which means it's impossible to care about him or root for him. In fact, pretty much the only people in the film that you might care about or root for are the psycho's secretary, Jean, and the detective (Willem Dafoe).
So the film starts off with a strike against it, but then I found myself getting into the story, meaning I was entertained, and that's the name of the game in cinema.
I also got the joke. "American Psycho" is not a serious horror movie or drama; it's a black comedy or satire. As such, it's impossible to take seriously and be scared; and there are quite a few amusing or laugh-out-loud scenes (like the head in the fridge).
Thankfully, "American Psycho" has meaning beyond the surface. It's a commentary on the emptiness of America's materialistic, irreligious modern culture. Our innate moral compass has been lost with the passing of spiritual faith as we desperately search for meaning in secularism, materialism, pompous titles and the outward images of success, which generally leaves us looking good, but spiritually bereft. Life becomes virtually meaningless beyond the mechanics of the grind and everything that goes into it. People become mere objects to compete with or fulfill selfish desires. Etcetera. ***SPOILER ALERT*** And then the final act strongly hints that none of the murders are real; it's all in his mind and he's going deeper into insanity.***END SPOILER***
I don't know if it's because of Bale's subsequent fame as the Batman or what, but "American Psycho" has become a popular cult film since its poor performance at the box office in 2000.
This is a hard R-rated film, so stay away if you're not in the mood for heaps of violence, gore, nudity, sex and cussing.
The runs 102 minutes and was shot in Toronto and New York City.
GRADE: B- or C+