Black satire of 1980s America.

Rating: 10/10 (20 September 2004)

Plot: Patrick Bateman seems like the ultimate yuppie. He has an Ivy League education, a top-flight job, good looks, confidence, fine taste in food, and a disciplined workout regimen. But there is something askew with him. Although Bateman is perfect in every way, he is perfect in all of the same ways as everyone else in his social circles. In achieving everything that is expected of him in society, he has become anonymous.
Well, Patrick is going to do something about that!
If you lived through the selfishness and materialism of the 1980s, this movie will crack you up as it horrifies you. I gave this film an excellent rating for its depiction of hilariously superficial Harvard-educated Wall Street types. This is not the usual depiction of the smug rich as comical boobs, but as deeply twisted and fundamentally empty people. In my experience, the latter depiction is closer to the truth.
The main character's complete self-obsession is illustrated through his egotistical practices. These range from his endless physical workouts and "metro-sexual" attention to his looks, to his ravenous desire for sex and violence. The on-screen sex could offend more sensitive American viewers, and th on-screen violence will offend most European viewers. Its still a very good movie, but be warned.
Not for the faint of heart, but you won't forget this movie.