American Psycho [Blu-ray]

Taking place in the late 1980s in New York City, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), a 27-year-old wealthy Wall Street yuppie who lives a second life as a psychotic serial killer. The film follows a few months of his life as he keeps up his appearance of success by dining at fancy restaurants and paying for prostitutes while getting a sick enjoyment out of murdering innocent people. The film is meant to be a satirical and horrific look at the 1980s culture surrounding the "yuppies," or young people at the time setting out to get rich quick. It also satirizes masculinity itself as Bateman is a character that tries to exude a certain manliness, but also acts in a rather feminized fashion. Easily the most outstanding aspect of this film is the performance of Christian Bale as the main character. Bale did an excellent job of portraying Bateman as the psychopath he is. In some scenes, he comes off as truly despicable and terrifying, but he also does a superb job of creating the satirical side of the character and many parts of the movie and the lines he says come off as hilarious in a way to mock his narcissistic demeanor. There are many other great performances in the film as well such as Bateman's colleagues (including Jared Leto, Bill Sage, and Justin Theroux) who portray self-centered and elitist men, Willem Dafoe's portrayal of detective Donald Kimball investigating a murder that he suspects Bateman is involved in, and Chloë Sevigny as Bateman's secretary who has an unrequited crush on Bateman. The story and writing itself are another strong point of this movie. As stated above, it is mostly a satirical look at the yuppie culture taken to an extreme through a psychotic killer character. It is quite an entertaining look at the world through Bateman's otherwise empty and unfulfilling life. There is also a certain amount of surrealness to it as well as later scenes have such exaggerated levels of violence and destruction that there is a question if the crimes are real or if they are just in Bateman's imagination. The Blu-ray itself contains a few bonus features. This includes a commentary track from director Mary Harron, another commentary track by writer Guinevere Turner, deleted scenes, and a short documentary on the seedier aspects of life in 1980s New York City. Overall, I enjoyed this film. With a superb and entertaining performance by lead Christian Bale and an intelligent satire, I would recommend this movie to those that enjoy horror or satire films with a dark and comedic twist.

I started reading through the reviews of this movie, and over and over, I had to click on "No," this review was not "helpful" to me, whether the person gave it one star or five stars. After reading about 20 of them, I was beginning to think that either everyone watching it just isn't getting it or I'm as whacked out as Patrick Bateman. My take on this movie seems to be completely different from everyone else's (although I didn't read all 300 reviews: maybe someone in here has my take on it). First let me state my perspective. Judged by how many times I've watched it (about 10 times), this must be one of my favorite movies. I don't seem to be able to get enough of it, and my interpretation of it has evolved from bemused bafflement to a satisfied feeling that I really get it. Second, I did not read the book, and based on what I've read in these reviews, I'm glad I didn't, because I've been able to contemplate this movie without trying to relate it to the book, to contemplate it as an independent work of art that plays with the viewer's mind and challenges the viewer to figure this Patrick Bateman out. Those people responsible for it may have had some ideas triggered by the book, but this movie can stand on its own considerable merits. Unlike some reviewers, I am not in the least attracted by the character of Patrick Bateman. I find him completely contemptible and repulsive, and to allude to a line from the movie, I have nothing in common with him. Yet he is fascinating to watch and I can't help laughing hysterically at his total emptiness and delusions. Delusions bring up the point I want to make about this movie. At one level it is impossible to tell what is real and what is sheer delusion in Patrick Bateman's mind. What is really happening, and what is being imagined or dreamed by Patrick? Maybe he did kill a few people in this movie. But I can't tell whether he really did killed Paul Allen or whether this was merely one of his delusional fantasies. The movie surely gives enough examples of psychotic delusions on his part. Some of the things he says directly to women obviously were not actually said, because if they were, the women would have called for the bouncer to have him thrown out. As it was, they just ignore him. Some of the murders were utterly preposterous, as when he carefully aims the running chainsaw at the prostitute fleeing down the stairs and he throws it at her, stabbing her in the back when she is four flights of stairs below him. Come on! That never happened, even in the movie! Then the killing spree at the end OBVIOUSLY never happened! When he had the shootout with the cops, he takes a couple shots at them, never missing his human target from 100 yards away (do you know how hard that is?), and suddenly one of his bullets causes all the cop cars aligned against him to explode! Even HE is surprised, suddenly staring at his gun in disbelief that he could have done that with a single shot. This was such a string of carnage that it would have been all over the news and all the talk. Yet no one says a word about it when he meets with his associates the next day. When he revisits the apartment where he had dead bodies hanging in every closet, the place is pristine and is for sale. There's not a word from anyone that an apartment was found full of mutilated bodies. Why? Obviously, because it was all in his imagination! After he breaks down and confesses to his lawyer that he just went on a killing spree, he lawyer laughs because it is so preposterous. Such a thing would have made the headlines, yet the lawyer thinks it's just a sick joke, and he saw Paul Allen in London the day Patrick was supposed to have killed him. Yet there is ambiguity even here. All these Wall Street stockbrokers (every one of them younger than 30 and vice-presidents whose greatest status symbols are the classiness of their business cards and where they can get dinner reservations), all of them look and act alike and they are constantly misidentifying each other. Was it really Paul Allen he killed (if he killed one of his associates at all), was it really Paul Allen the lawyer saw in London? It is impossible to say, which is one of the most amusing ironies of this eternally entertaining movie.

Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is your everyday Wall Street exec. He works for his fathers company, even though he doesn't really have to. He compares business cards with fellow friends and makes reservations at the newest and hottest restaurants... just because. He has a body every man wants and every girl wants to touch. He's meticulous and anal in everything he does. He's also a homicidal maniac. He kills for fun and he kills for release and he kills for hatred. After one of his murders though, a homicide cop begins too get a little too close for comfort of figuring out that Patrick could be the killer and Patrick begins to unravel from his calm demeanor. Never having read the book the movie is based on; I went into this movie blind. And loved it. It was a lot of fun to listen to his Patrick's narration of who he is and what he is. Like when he's talking about his facial mask. As he begins to peel it off after 10 minutes of having it on, you really just cant help see him telling us that what is on his outside is not who he is on the inside. He's not your friend. Not your coworker. Not your lover. He's a friggin soulless killer. It is crazy to think that someone could be so cold and emotionless, but yet there are people out there that are like that. I don't believe for a second that he got 100% pleasure out of all of his kills. Some seemed like he just couldn't help it. Like we might go get a massage, have sex, or just sit on the beach for some relaxation. He would kill. Not only is the movie just crazy good, it's also pretty funny. Dark funny though. Seeing him get massively pissed off over someone's business cards is too funny. And not in the ha-ha kind of funny way, but in the `holy crap he's getting pissed over nothing' kind of way. And flexing in the mirror while having sex with two girls? Legendary. And chasing someone down a hallway, butt nekid except for high tops, and a chainsaw? Once again... Legendary. And when he says things out loud such as "I'm into murders and executions" and someone doesn't really hear him and thinks he says `mergers and acquisitions'...that's just funny. There are just a lot of funny lines in this movie, but dark funny guys. I love how he tells people he will kill them, but you know he means it...lol. Christian Bale is a pretty good actor for sure. I love how he seems different in all his parts he plays. Not a lot different, but he just is. It's almost subtle, but he's not really ever the same. But one thing for sure is that good gracious God blessed that man with a crazy metabolism or something. I'm not gay, but the man has a great body. And to do what he does with it is crazy. I'll never forget the way he looked like a dang holocaust victim in The Mechanist and then like a few months later he was Batman or something. Crazy. P.S. - So I'm not afraid to say I don't understand the ending. I can't tell what was going on at the end. Is he a killer for real...or is it in his head? For instance...he blew up a cop car with a pistol. Even he looked at his gun like `wtf?' And then after his confession, even his lawyer said he was kidding around. Was he? Or was the lawyer covering for him? I was confused. Anyone want to help me out? I tried not to say much, so spoilers ahead if there needs to be in the comments!

A hauntingly dark view of metro society in general. Superficiality to the extreme! Great performances by all !

I have just watched this film for the second time, and have finally come to some real conclusions about it. I have also read the novel, by Ellis. First let me say that the film is both a brilliant adaptation of the novel as well as being only a pale shadow of it. The adaptation was brilliant in that it adapted the most significant parts of the novel in terms of theme, rather than turning the film into a gore fest. Yes, this film is about a serial killer, but it is also about alienation and emptiness and the utter despair of having everything but having nothing worthwhile. I think that often the real meaning of the book and the film go unnoticed. Yes, it is a brilliant film in terms of cinematography and plot, but what does it all mean? Patrick Bateman, our protagonist, says at the beginning that he does not really exist, and throughout the film he is always mistaken for someone else. I think this film has a great deal to say about alienation, about the emptiness of modern life. It really has the same theme as Fight Club, though that theme is represented differently. But that theme still comes through very strongly: that modern society has lost touch with reality, that it is estranged and unfocused, and that people need something more than lots of money, high rise apartments and perfect bodies. Bateman becomes a killer because he needs to feel something just as the guys in Fight Club initiated fights in order to really feel, to feel that they were alive. I think that American Psycho is more a general comment on society than it is on serial killers. But it stands as an important commentary, a very valuable film. I would have given it a full five stars, but the fact is that the film is not for everyone. And, if you have any doubts, just seeing Christian Bale's performance is worth the entire film. Why he didn't get the Oscar is beyond my understanding. This is one of the greatest performances on film I have ever seen.

"American Psycho", a 25-year old Christian Bale film--skewers Wall Street stock brokers. It is not dated at all; in fact it proceeds like an episode of the recent t.v. series "Suits"!!!!! This is a really good film. "American Psycho (based on a real sociopath/serial killer)-- EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS, and even TRUMPS the Martin Scorsese/ Leonardo Di Caprio "The Wolf of Wall Street" !!!!!!!!!! Last this film allows Bale to comment on 80's music: Huey Lewis & The News, Genesis, etc.

...but there's so much more to love. Even if this movie wasn't a spot-on dissection of Reagen-era attitudes and excesses (not that things are that different today), Christian Bale's AMAZING performance would make it worthwhile. I admit I wasn't too into it at first, thinking from reviews and commercials that it would be "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" in Armani...after a few more viewings, it really started to sink in. I now watch it at least twice a month. Seriously. Trying to put this into the genre of horror and compare it to films within those confines misses the point entirely...most of the violence takes place off screen and it's actually incidental to the overall point or "message". If I had to put it next to another movie for comparison, my choice would be "Taxi Driver". It portrays the same inner turmoil and desire to belong, but in a much more cold and cynical way. Whereas Travis Bickle (DeNiro) had an almost innocent, Holden Caulfield-esque outlook on life and the drive to be a heroic figure that saves the world, Patrick Bateman sees the world as an extension of his "greed and disgust". There's also the fact that I've seen each a zillion times and still occasionally pick up a detail or line of dialogue that I'd never noticed before. Anyway, it's a mind-blowingly good movie IN MY OPINION with beautiful cinematography and great performances from everyone involved (Willem Dafoe's scenes are sparse but hilarious and Chloe Sevigny's character gives a quiet, poignant feel to her major scene with Bale.) If you don't like it the first time, wait a while and try again.

Great movie

Cuando vi American Psycho, me quedé impactada por lo desconcertante y provocadora que resulta la historia. La actuación de Christian Bale es simplemente fascinante; realmente logra capturar la dualidad de Patrick Bateman, alguien que puede parecer encantador y refinado, pero que por dentro es completamente despiadado y perturbador. No podía apartar la mirada de la pantalla, incluso cuando las escenas eran incómodas o grotescas. Lo que más me atrapó fue cómo la película se burla de la superficialidad de la sociedad de los años 80, especialmente entre los ricos de Wall Street. Todo está tan obsesionado con las apariencias: la ropa, los restaurantes, las tarjetas de presentación. Es como si los personajes no tuvieran alma, lo cual hace que el comportamiento extremo de Bateman se sienta casi... ¿inevitable? La dirección de Mary Harron es brillante al equilibrar el humor negro con el terror psicológico. Hay momentos en los que te ríes, y justo después te das cuenta de lo horrible que es lo que acaba de pasar. Ese cambio de tono es lo que hace que la película se quede contigo. Eso sí, la película no es para todos. Es violenta, confusa y, a veces, surrealista. Hacia el final, no estás seguro de qué es real y qué está en la mente de Bateman. Pero creo que eso es lo que la hace tan memorable; te deja con preguntas que sigues pensando días después. En resumen, American Psycho es perturbadora y genial al mismo tiempo. Es una película que te hará sentir incómodo, pero no puedes dejar de apreciarla por lo que es: una crítica feroz y una exploración inquietante de la psique humana.

Un film che non potevo non tenere nella mia libreria, che dire ottimo film, ottimo prezzo ed ottima gestione della spedizione come sempre

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Excellent. Better than the book. Bale is superb.

Blue ray came in new quality. This is a classic and interesting story.