the first cinematic disappointment of the twenty-first century

Rating: 1/10 (3 April 2000)

Take away the controversy and Brett easton Ellis' novel really isn't all that good.The plot is pretty non-existent and the "theme" that the 80's were all about greed and designer names is neither original nor true.Yet it seems that the controversy the book caused was irresistible to Hollywood.The claim that the book could never be filmed was like throwing the gauntlet to film-makers.It would be more accurate to say the film could never be made well. The novel can be excused its wafer-thin plot as it is a first person narrative of a psychopath.The film doesn't have that luxury and it really requires a better than Christian bale to play such a complex character. It seems director mary harron was unsure about how to film this.On the one hand she has censored all the gore and black comedy which was the novel's raison d'etre yet she casts bale and Willem Dafoe-actors scarcely noted for their subtlety.balein particularly overacts inexcusably- American actors like Ethan Hawke or ben Affleck would have done a much better job. In all the film is lacking in originality.The movie was edited again to remove all the violent bits and like The Avengers or the Kilmer saint flick this subsequent is all too obvious and the movie seems disjointed and unfocussed.perhaps harron was hoping a strong performance from Christian Bale would help but he spends so much time on the tics and mannerisms that he fails to drive the narrative forward and his bateman is simply irritating..more like the office pest than a ruthless serial killer.To be honest i wondered why the female characters liked him so much.He's handsome in a bland way but he lacks the charm and manipulative charisma that I'd envisaged bateman having. All in all this film is a mess.A wasted opportunity.Unlike the book there is no hint as to why bateman commits his crimes and to be honest by halfway through I didn't care. Don't bother going to see this at the cinema.it might be worth a watch on video.