brilliant, thought provoking and disturbing.

Rating: 8/10 (2 December 2012)

okay i am going to concede something first of all- i watched American psycho because Michael c.hall said in an interview that his inspiration for his dexter character( who i absolutely adore because of his different shades) was the character of Patrick Bateman. so my subconscious mind was rather busy finding similarities between the adept and somewhat moralistic serial killer dexter and erratic, lunatic and 'driven to the edge of emptiness by the greed and mechanic corporate world' serial killer Bateman. let's get to the core of Bateman because i think he is the only character worth analyzing in this movie. as the movie begins the rituals and emptiness of emotions of Bateman is for everyone to see by dint of bale's out of this world facial expressions. his amazing delivery of the dialog- 'i simply am not there.' goes to show his struggle to maintain a social life outside to hide the killer inside much like Dexter. but that's about as far as it goes with similarities between him and Dexter.
Dexter is born with blood lust but Bateman is driven to blood lust by the greed and expectation of being superior in lifestyle than others of the corporate and to an extent modern city life and the pressure it brings with it. the vice presidents of pierce and pierce, including Bateman, in spite of their achievements are simply not happy. they judge and envy each other based on designer clothes and 'tasteful' accessories. Bateman just has an extreme reaction to this envy or as he puts it- disgust. the disgust is rather disagreement on certain choices rather than actually being disgusting on a morale level. his victims earlier in the film are disgusting to him like- Paul or that homeless guy. as the film progresses his victims are victims of his impulse or insanity rather than disgust.
a scene which really catches me is when Bateman drags Paul's dead body in a bag. seeing him Luis asks him where he got that bag instead of asking what he was carrying in it. he was more interested in knowing the brand of the bag rather than inquiring bateman what it was that was so heavy that he had to drag in an overnight bag.this scene gives the feeling of corporate greed. the conversation in ESPACE solidifies this feeling of emotional emptiness, which is predominant throughout the film, through the sheer disbelief of bateman in what he himself was saying, evidenced by bale's brilliant empty eyes and facial expressions.
Bateman is not as calm as Dexter because he was not born a serial killer. in every conversation with the detective, his nervousness and suspicious behavior gives him away. his impulse ultimately drives him to insanity. his relation with his secretary is the only relationship in this movie that is interesting.i can't help but think that he feels something for her. when he brings her to his apartment he is hesitating and not as spontaneous as he is with his other kills. after Evelyn's call he asks her to leave before he hurts her. his panic call to her is as close as bateman comes to humanity in this film. the ending is confusing yet brilliantly sublime. my interpretation is that bateman didn't kill them, just wanted to. his assistant finds his Pb where his wishes are drawn out and you may call them fantasy. he might never have the guts to kill them in real life but he thinks his kills and fantasies will help him get rid of his 'greed and disgust'. this ending goes perfectly with the film's tone. finally, the movie and bale is brilliant.the sex scenes are disturbing the only fault you can find is you do not get to connect with any other character. that's why i think if you take bale out of this film you are left with absolutely nothing. bale deserved an Oscar. many found humor in this film but i honestly didn't find any. maybe because bale consumed me with horror and disbelief through his actions and pin point acting. if you watch this movie closely you will be encapsulated by bale and have your own view of the ending. that's what so brilliant about it.