I finally watched American Psycho! It’s one of those films that made it to pop culture stardom and you can’t help but know some of the film’s references without even having seen. My expectations weren’t unreasonable: I expected to see some people—women—murdered, and yeah, that was pretty much it. Well, the film definitely exceeded those expectations.
First of all, I didn’t expect to see a young Jared Leto—FYI, he looks the same now as he did 20 years ago. Secondly, I know Christian Bale is a good actor, but I had no idea that he delivered such a compelling performance. Bad characters always seem to be the most fun to inhabit, but they are rarely the most interesting characters to watch. Of course, I have to allow for bad character development because that seems to the problem with promising but ultimately underwhelming baddies in movies. Thankfully, this is not the case for Patrick Bateman, whose character development is well done.
Bateman’s cold personality is reflected in his job as an investment banker, his attention to superficial details such as his associates business cards, and his desire to keep up appearances for his similarly superficial fiancée (Reese Witherspoon). What I like is how the iciness and cleanliness of Bateman’s personality and demeanor are in contrast to his desire to commit gruesome murders. It doesn’t really make sense that he would want to dirty his spotless apartment, but perhaps, that disorder is just what Bateman needs.
The film seems to reflect a similar tango with the opposite. It starts out as a sort of drama/dark comedy, but by the end, is a fantasy revelation. I’m not persuaded that this direction change works well, but I do like the gutsiness of holding out until the final act. In a way, this works to convince the audience that Bateman is saner than he is—that is, as sane as a serial killer can be.
When that leap to surrealism does occur, Bateman turns from just being a serial killer to a serial killer only his fantasies. Somehow, this makes Bateman seem so much crazier because he actually believes that his fantasies are real. The only problem with this is that while the film embraces his insanity, it doesn’t hint at this possibility until it surprises you at the very end. I will admit: I’ve only watched the film once. So perhaps, if I watched the film again, I would be able to pick up on the hints if they are provided.
The film was enjoyable, particularly due to Bale’s performance.
RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Let me know if you’ve seen American Psycho and how you liked it!
THE FILM ALIEN 