American Psycho was a controversial movie even before it's release. One because it was deemed unadaptable to a film format, it's sick ultra-violence and dense, descriptive passages were thought to be too much for a conventional film. And it was also expected to be Leonardo DiCaprio's follow up film to his break out success in Titanic. Fortunately not only did director Mary Harron manage to to give us a faithful and rich adaptation, but the part of Patrick Bateman, the psycho of the title, went to upcoming A-lister Christian Bale.
Bale is stunning, still his best work in my mind despite winning turns in The Fighter, The Mechanic, Public Enemies and The Prestige. It's quite a broad performance at times, but it perfectly fits the black comedic tone that director Harron is going for. Bale captures the persona of a man who strives for wealth, status and acceptance and superiority in society, as well as the shallow, moral-free man whose psyche is crumbling beneath the precisely groomed exterior.
Like the book, the film is a critique and parody of the American Dream, exaggerated to the extreme. Greed, consumerism and social and class status are targeted with Harron revealing the underlying madness that awaits us if society continues on this path. At the end Bateman's murder spree is in doubt along with his sanity and even his identity. But it's a commentary on all of us; if we define ourselves by our belongings and our looks, then perhaps we lose our own identity to those superficial personas. Darkly funny, smart and compelling.
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