So does the sharp-edged satire. Bateman's targets are the men he hates and women he lusts after. He turns to murder as the only way to establish a personal identity. Though most pre-release talk centered on the expected parade of violent gore, Harron successfully toned down that aspect.
Most murders occur off-camera, though enough still is shown or suggested to properly upset viewers.
That scene was toned down to secure the R rating. American Psycho has a hallucinatory, often-mesmerizing quality, thanks in part to Bale's coldly magnetic portrayal. And he makes a powerful central figure in this disturbing corporate nightmare. His Bateman is arrogant and ambitious, but also clearly pained by the degree to which he must march in step. He's determined to make an individual mark, even if it has to be with a blade.