'There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman,.. But there is no real me'

Rating: Null/10 (5 May 2004)

American Psycho is a dark comedy taken from the popular book written by Brett Easton Ellis and it focuses on the life of mass murdering 'yuppie' called Patrick Bateman who works for one of the top banks in New York owned by his father. This cleverly constructed film is focused around the central theme of conflict between having some individuality but also fitting into a society where looks are everything. Appearance is all important; the right suit and shoes make or break an individual; the right grooming products are vital and where you live is key to being liked. To ensure acceptance Bateman's social group all dress alike. Thus the clothes that they all wear become uniform. It prevents expressions of individuality and this denies Bateman an identity of his own and is frequently mistaken for other businessmen. There are many factors in this film that attracted me such as the way we constantly hear Patrick Bateman's thoughts through voiceovers and this feels like he is addressing us and draws us closer to him on a personal level. Even though we witness killings and sick acts, we leave feeling sorry for him and not for his victims. Instead the film makes us blame society. The music in this film is used very well as it makes us laugh in scenes of extreme violence. When one murder occurs we hear an upbeat song playing on his stereo and this lightens the mood completely and makes the scene very surreal. There are certain aspects of this film that let down the glowing performance of Christian Bale as 'Patrick Bateman', such as the supporting actors and actresses who are at turns humorous, tragic and touching in their roles but luckily this does not let down the flow of the movie in a noticeable way. There is one aspect of this film that can confuse the viewer and that is the ending which leaves the audience asking themselves many questions. This can be seen as a positive effect also. The characters in this film are all likeable, especially Bateman who we connect with the most. All of the supporting actors roles combine in a way that makes Bateman appear even more twisted and his role more surreal. Rees Witherspoon plays a very convincing role alongside Bateman as his girlfriend who seems only interested in money and a rich lifestyle. Overall this film is just as stylish, slick and successful as Bateman himself and although a lot of Ellis's book is not in the script, this black satire movie successfully portrays a society where no one has their own identity and where Patrick Bateman shows us the his inner thoughts.

'Bateman is a paragon of conformity in an amoral society where to conform is to be amoral.'
An excellent film that should be seen.
5 stars