Quite possibly the most important film ever made

Rating: 10/10 (30 January 2008)

I'm 19 years old. The first time I saw the film was in the summer of 2006 when I was 18. Since that day Ihave approximately viewed American Psycho 25 to 30 times and every time I see it I am simply more and more mesmerized by this piece of film. I may only be 19 but I have seen my share of great films over the years(i.e. The Godfather, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Sling Blade, etc.) These films that I just mentioned along with a very select few are those rare films that have no flaws whatsoever. American Psycho is one of these films. After viewing a movie I like to think back and review each and every aspect of the film, what could have been better, what scenes could have been cut, etc. I didn't need but more than a few seconds to realize this film was absolutely flawless. American Psycho is hands down the best film I've ever seen.
After seeing the movie with a friend of mind, he was also astonished at how brilliant this film was and told me what he heard about the novel by Bret Easton Elis. He heard that in the book there is much more detail and a lot of questions could be answered and there is much more graphic detail than the movie. I then purchased the novel and read it. And like the movie the book opened my eyes to a new world. The novel was quite controversial at the time written in 1991. The brilliance of the whole thing though is the adaptation from novel to film. Obviously some of the detail in the book could never be shown in theaters and was cut for like I said for obvious reasons. But every single character is played to perfection, some of the names are different in the movie thats not uncommon in movie and novel comparisons. The movie to me is the perfect length for what detail is need from the novel. If you haven't seen the movie read the book and I will guarantee that you appreciate the movie more regardless of your current view of the movie.
I had actually saw the movie Batman Begins before I had ever seen American Psycho and this was the first film in which I had seen Christian Bale.I viewed the movie and was blown away by Christian Bale's performance as this new aged Batman. So when I had heard about him playing the lead role in American Psycho I was very excited to find out if Bale was as talented as he was in BB. He was even better. I don't think I've ever seen a better performance by an actor in any movie. And after reading the novel it is even more amazing. When reading the Patrick Bateman lines in the novel, I could literally hear Christian Bale's voice in my head. Patrick Bateman is arguably the most complex fictional character every created. Not only is he misunderstood by most around him he also doesn't understand the significance of his own existence and for those who have seen the movie would recognize that you wouldn't even know that he feels this way by the way he acts around others. Patrick Bateman is 27 years old (in the novel he is 26) and works on Wall Street for a company called Pierce and Pierce. The extent of his job is actually not known as we see him just listening to music or watching TV while in his office. I don't want to give too many more details but Bateman his considered a "yuppie". Yuppies were considered to be the young , up and coming business men in the '80s. But if you have not seen this movie or not seen Christian Bale you are truly in for a thrill, this is not only in testament to the character Patrick Bateman but to the acting ability and talent of Christian Bale.
I have seen this movie at least 25 times and this is what I wish I could see in every film and this is one of the aspects that makes American Psycho so brilliant. It pretty much sucks you in. You can't help but want to know why certain things in the movie happened and you just will not be able to find the answers.
Performances by Willem Defoe, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny, and Jared Leto are mindbogglingly good. Willem Defoe plays Detective Donald Kimball and is at his absolute best even though he only appears in 3 scenes, those of you who have seen the movie can agree about why his performance is so excellent. Not too many people are huge Reese Witherspoon fans because of some of her recent disappointing roles but her role as Bateman's supposed fiancé Evelyn is second to none.
If you haven't seen American Psycho I suggest buying the DVD as opposed to renting it because you will most likely want to watch it a couple of more times. If you have seen the film I'm sure a lot of you might think I'm over the top by me saying that this is the best film ever made. One thing I forgot to mention is the humorous quality of the movie especially Patrick Bateman. This movie has so many different background stories, questions, and thoughts. But it is so important because of the world Patrick Bateman lives in. But what world does he want to live in? I think you might know the answer if you have seen the film. Hopefully I haven't taken up all your time on this lovely day but this truly is important to all of us as a society. And if you haven't seen it please try everything in your power to see this movie immediately.
So if you'll excuse me I have a lunch meeting with Cliff Huxtable at the Four Seasons in 20 minutes.