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Writer's pictureSam Ward

American Psycho: A Review.

Mary Harron, 2000


May contain spoilers!


American Psycho has amassed a cult following since its release, and is often talked about as one of the best films in the last 20 years, so I really wanted to see what the fuss was about. The film is so original and different, or at least it was at the time, that it is going to be incredibly difficult to try and explain it. However, I think the best way to explain it is to not take it seriously. I got the impression that it is supposed to be a dark comedy, almost a spoof of horrors. I originally didn't really understand it, but after thinking of it in this light, I got more of a grip on the film.


The movie follows a narcissistic, egotistical, apathetic business man named Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale who works on Wall Street in the late 1980's. We constantly get reminded of the period this is set in with the hairstyles, and the very old fashioned Walkman earphones Bateman likes to use in his office. He clearly is a fan of music from that time, as will be explained later.


Patrick Bateman is a complete and utter psychopath, whose main pastime includes finding random people to kill after little or no thought. He feels he has a serious need to kill a lot of people, whether it is a power thing, or just that's what his hobby is. Either way it's incredibly creepy, and the way its portrayed by Christian Bale, and directed by Mary Harron, makes this so impactful, and suspenseful. He very much plays a different guy during the day, as he does at night. During work hours, he tries desperately to fit in to his expensive, Wall Street lifestyle, surrounding himself with people who have similar outlooks on life, and similar appearances too. This was a very clever touch, all of his 'friends' looked the same in this movie, perhaps this was used intentionally in order to reaffirm our outlook on people as apathetic and selfish as Bateman as all the same.


This addiction to killing that he has, starts to emanate into his everyday life, and this is illustrated incredibly by Bale and Harron. As the film progresses, we think that he is just angry and only has murderous thoughts, but then the next day he has stains on sheets that he is trying to get washed, and it is unsure if it is blood or not, and throughout then film we start to see more and more of his private life at night. This becomes really entertaining and also funny to watch him try to keep this secret from his yuppies and other everyday people. You also get a good look and commentary at the narcissism and selfishness of these types of people.


One thing that makes this film such a cult classic is that there are so many quotable lines in it, often innocent lines, that are overruled by the evilness of Bateman. This gives it a serious dark comedy feel. It is also worth noting that Mary Harron's direction of this movie is second to none. A lot of her angles imply violence, that would have been less suspenseful, and impactful if she was to just show it, and it leaves more to the imagination. It is very easy, if you were to read the script to mistake this for a comedy rather than a horror/thriller, but the direction makes it work so well, and once again creates a good balance of horror, and comedy.


The use of music, and Bateman's elongated monologues of the artists intricacies whilst the music is playing, leads directly in to the killing. This is one of my favourite film techniques, contrapuntal music. The action on screen, e.g bloody murder, violent sex, doesn't reflect the music the audience can hear, e.g It's Hip To Be Square, by Huey Lewis and the News, and Sussudio by Phil Collins. It's a clever way to create cognitive dissonance and cause a feeling of unease for the audience. It also makes Bateman look even more insane.



We hear narration from the point of view of Bateman, and while narration in movies can often prove to be lazy filmmaking and usually allows the plot to be explained when the director can't think of a way to naturally progress it, in this film it works perfectly. It doesn't come off as pointless, it feels like it needs to be there to grow and strengthen the character of Patrick Bateman. Also a side note, if you have ever watched Parks and Recreation, all you are going to hear is Ron Swanson, at least that's all I heard anyway!


The movie looks and sounds incredible, and most of the actors really shine. American Psycho offers a social commentary on how business people are portrayed and how selfish and narcissistic people are, but it also has a theme running throughout; what is fact and what is fiction in this movie. We as the audience don't know if this is in his head or not. It gives the viewer that necessary questioning, and discussion that I love about movies. This makes you feel as if you are in Bateman's mind, but also you are able to observe it from afar too. It is a very hard movie to explain, and I am for sure going to watch this a few more times, as I am still unsure what I thought of it, but overall it is a great film, with a brilliant lead performance from Christian Bale, which was definitely the standout take-home for me from this movie.


7/10

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