American Psycho - Movie Review

It’s about a secret life in New York City in the 1980s, that of Patrick Bateman, an investment banker who has a disturbing secret life. Bateman keeps his psychopathic tendencies hidden under the surface of being material successful and charming with the real world, sinking further into the cycle of abuse, hedonistic madness.

It is a scary satire of 1980 materialism, narcissism, and sort of face or facade of society success. Through its darkly comedic lens (and horrifying one), it studies the emptiness of all this consumerism and what it might breed sociopathic. Black comedic notes added to the psychological horror only serve to make the tone unsettling; which achieves unsettling immensely.

Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman’s performance is chilling and mesmerizing, keeping the tension of what was behind the ‘smirking’ man mysterious through the hypnotizing. Bale is masterful when it comes to portraying the descent of Bateman into madness, terrorizing and enthraling all in equal measures. The support comes from a finely drawn supporting cast including Chloe Sevigny and Justin Theroux who bring a real dimension to the sardonic world of Bateman that it inhabits.

Mary Harrons direction proves a brilliantly brazen translation of Bret Easton Elliss dirty novel to screen, with a brutal satire maintained yet with a vivid enough narrative. The soundtrack featuring 1980s pop music is perfect, ensuring the sesame seeds of the films gruesome events are studded with increased horror with satirical undertones.

Harron thankfully keeps the films horror elements and the films satirical undertones in a sort of balanced relationship. With both incomparable songs from artists such as Huey Lewis and the News and Whitney Houston added as an echo of the macabre, the films dark comedic element is heightened while its glossy 1980s Manhattan picture is beautifully brought out by its sharp, well composed cinematography. The slick, cold aesthetic of Bateman’s emotionally dead life is mirrored in the film’s atmosphere, as is the production design’s recreation of the luxe but empty environments of 1980s New York high society. All the way down, from Batemans spic and span used apartment to the plush office spaces, it aids to underline the superficial existence and cloth infatuation at the films centre.

Moreover, the special results, specifically inside the harsh killing scenes, help to increase the horror without mixing up the arrange thematic elements. They help to disturb us and to prod us to think about the radically different situation between Batemans polished veneer and his monstrous deeds.

The language is kept clear and tight to the next sharp tangent of Batemans mad world and is tense. Thus, the pacing plays up and down the points of tension building and violence exploding. Bateman’s unpredictable nature is reflected in this rhythm, making for engaging and uneasy viewing.

The dialog is sharp and appropriate for the satirical nature of the film. Albeit ‘brilliantly’ crafted, ‘American Psycho’s ’ violence might be latchesome for its viewers to behold. Furthermore, some readers with a poor background in the book may dismiss these elements as the film’s satirical aspect and subsequently misinterpret the film’s intent.

American Psycho is a disturbing and intriguing journey into a very disturbed mind in a very disturbed world. Horror, dark comedy and social commentary come together in a way that makes it a provocative and thought provoking watch. Particularly, Christian Bale does a haunting performance, which gives the film a place in the mind after you see it.