Where to watch American Psycho
3 1/2 Stars
It’s the late 1980s. Twenty-seven year old Wall Streeter Patrick Bateman travels among a closed network of the proverbial beautiful people, that closed network in only they able to allow others like themselves in in a feeling of superiority. Patrick has a routinized morning regimen to maintain his appearance of attractiveness and fitness. He, like those in his network, are vain, narcissistic, egomaniacal and competitive, always having to one up everyone else in that presentation of oneself, but he, unlike the others, realizes that, for himself, all of these are masks to hide what is truly underneath, someone/something inhuman in nature. In other words, he is comprised of a shell resembling a human that contains only greed and disgust, greed in wanting what others may have, and disgust for those who do not meet his expectations and for himself in not being the first or the best. That disgust ends up manifesting itself in wanting to rid the world of those people, he not seeing them as people but only of those characteristics he wants to rid.
Bret Easton Ellis’ novel American Psycho has been adapted to film by writer/director Mary Harron, and it’s a perfect marriage of filmmaker and source material. This meticulously designed film is a treat for the eyes and alternates between gory and amusing satire. Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman delivers one of his best performances as the title character in a startling role that requires him to play a charming serial killer who just needs to return some videotapes. The supporting cast is equally fine, with standouts Justin Theroux and Josh Lucas, both of whom ooze 80’s corporate greed.
The jaundiced view of the decade of excess and Wall Street’s “Masters of the Universe” is brilliantly satirized, and their self-involved narcissism provides chuckles that provide relief in between the brutal killings perpetrated by Bale’s character. The film does hit a few sour notes; Reese Witherspoon is a weak link as the pouty debutant carrying on an affair with Theroux. And the finale threatens to cross into horror movie cliche territory before pulling back and giving the audience questions to ponder as the credits roll. Did this all happen? Was everything on-screen Bateman’s raging, uncontrollable subconscious? Or is the man a serial killer who can assimilate? American Psycho is a well-made movie, directed with thought and attention to detail. While Mary Harron might seem an unlikely choice for the film adaptation, she turned out to be the perfect choice.
Directed by: Mary Harron
Written by: Bret Easton Ellis, Mary Harron, Guinevere Turner
Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas