No Introduction Necessary

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2014)

This is a movie I have seen at least ten times now, and every time I watch it I gain deeper insight into the mind of the protagonist, the director and of course, Bret Easton Ellis who wrote the novel on which the film is based.
Christian Bale gives an epic performance as the twisted Patrick Bateman, who is sickened by the world around him and everyone in it, and who wrestles with himself as he sicks to end his internal pain by inflicting it on others. Whilst obsessed with success and optimising himself, he pushes himself into the 80s yuppie lifestyle and then rails against it, and seeks to destroy anyone who believes in it. He is terrifying yet compelling to watch as his character descends deeper into psychotic frenzy as the film progresses, and he loses sight of what is reality and what is not. I cannot fault his acting - it is crisp, clean and his erratic emotions come across beautifully to the audience.
The supporting cast, in particular Reese Witherspoon, Willem Dafoe and Chloe Sevigny, were perfectly cast and gave believable performances in their three very different but complementary roles. The superficiality of Witherspoon's character, who does not realise how empty her relationship with Bateman is, presents a stark contrast to the depth seen in Bateman himself. Sevigny's character, the gentle Jean, is Bateman's one weakness. He sees in her his only hope for the future. She is the only one in the movie who shows genuine selflessness or a hope for a brighter future. Her innocence and purity is portrayed very successfully by Sevigny, with soft voice and wide eyes. Dafoe's character is one the audience finds difficult to predict, and this is down to the way that his character was played. It was shot three times where Dafoe played the role three different ways, which when edited were intertwined so there is no clear picture as to who he is and what he thinks. His excellent performance can then partially be attributed to Harron, the director.
The direction of this movie is exceptional. It is fast-paced and layered with additional meaning. No word goes amiss as the audience is plunged into the yuppie lifestyle and the harrowing events unfold around them. The dark comedy comes through with great subtlety, it is a satire unlike any other. You would not expect such nuance and slickness from what many class as a confusing gore, slasher or horror flick. Anyone who claims it as these things has severely missed the point.
The music in this film is completely the opposite of what you would expect. Many tracks are 80s pop songs, and this is one of the crucial threads through the movie. Bateman's extensive knowledge of 80s pop shows how he is a part of the culture that he so despises. The other music is considerably different, harsh violins which increase the suspense and darken the mood.
The lighting progressively dims through the movie, mirroring Bateman's descent, until the closing scene where it is once again bright as it was when the movie opened. This is a neat, but horrifying ending, as it shows the cyclical structure of the plot.
The confusion in this movie is part of its brilliance. Many of the actors look similar, wear similar clothes and accessories, work in the same company and do the same job. The characters also frequently mistake one another for somebody else. Many characters appear once and then disappear for the rest of the movie. Names are interchangeable, people get mixed up, and nobody cares apart from Bateman and this is only at the end when his mind is unravelling and he craves his punishment. Then there is the ultimate question of how much of this movie is reality and how much is fantasy. As the voice-over is Bateman, it is all from his perspective, and his psychosis is so erratic and unpredictable that the audience is left as perplexed as he is. There is a perfect moment near the end of the movie where the audience sees Bateman himself realise that what he is experiencing cannot be entirely real, leading everyone, including Bateman, to question what we have seen before and what we will see after.
The first time I saw the movie, I would have only given it a seven out of ten, for the superlative acting, costume, lighting and camera work. I found the plot and dialogue difficult, and when I watched the movie a second time, I saw that this was the idea. I appreciated the intense, multi-layered craftsmanship which makes this film now one of my absolute favourites. It is Harron's indisputable masterpiece in my opinion, and well worth the watch. Twice.