American Psycho

American Psycho

83% Liked It
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American Psycho

Chloë Sevigny, Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Reese Witherspoon

Patrick Bateman is young, white, beautiful, ivy leagued, and indistinguishable from his Wall Street colleagues. Shielded by conformity, privilege, and wealth, Bateman is also the ultimate serial kille...( read more  read more... )r, roaming freely and fearlessly. His murderous impulses are fueled by zealous materialism and piercing envy when he discovers someone else has acquired more than he has. After a colleague presents a business card superior in ink and paper to his, Bateman's blood thirst sharpens, and he steps up his homicidal activities to a frenzied pitch. Hatchets fly, butcher knives chop, chainsaws rip, and surgical instruments mutilate-how far will Bateman go? How much can he get away with?

Id: 10796014

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Recent Reviews


  • September 24, 2009
    I've seen this film, as of today, four times and it just seems to get better with each additional viewing. Definately a film that needs to be seen multiple times to be truely appreciated.
  • September 21, 2009
    A book no one thought could be filmed. It?s fair to say that it doesn?t come close to the book but it?s also fair to say that Mary Harron did as good a job as anyone could have done. This is a brilliant film with some brilliant performances, especially from Bale in one of his bes...( read more)t ever roles. Mary Harron, I have to say is a very underrated director, as far as I can tell, it?s only her sex that seems to be stifling her career which is positively disgraceful!
  • August 9, 2009
    I rewatched this for the first time in a long time . . . and I have to say WOW. Christian Bale is just crazy good in this film.
  • May 29, 2009
    American Psycho pales in comparison to the Bret Easton Ellis novel upon which it is based. Bateman was portrayed as a calculating and methodical killer (with the exception of the chapter where his murder of a saxophonist in plain view of a police officer sends him into a frenzy),...( read more) and the film throws all of this out of the window with the ridiculous 'chainsaw' scene. As well as that, many iconic and memorable pieces in the book are 'watered down' somewhat in their translation to film, Bateman's encounter with Carruthers in the bathroom, for example. This is likely due to the director, Mary Harron,'s wish to get absolutely everything into the movie, which wouldn?t be so much of a problem if the film weren?t so short. Almost everything that occurred in the book was at the very least mentioned in its film counterpart, for example the murder of Bateman?s ex girlfriend Bethany, a scene that is gone into in detail in the book. The film could simply have left it out, as it worked very well without it, but instead Bateman mentions it fleetingly at the end, leaving fans of the book somewhat annoyed. That said though, there are some saving graces in American Psycho, one being the fantastic performance given by Christian Bale, and it would be interesting to see my reaction to the film had I not read, and enjoyed, the book.
  • March 19, 2009
    Disturbing, brilliant and about as good an adaptation of the book as we are going to get.
  • December 25, 2009
    christian bale rules
  • December 20, 2009
    Absolutely ****nuts.
  • December 20, 2009
    "I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel l...( read more)ethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip." - Patrick Bateman

    Christian Bale kills the competition in this cult classic.

    Patrick Bateman is a young, well educated man working on Wall Street and believes in taking good care of himself. He exercises everyday, eats well balanced meals, gets massages, and regularly applies cleansing lotion on his body. He has money, friends, a girlfriend, dresses properly, and eats at all the right places. Beneath this image is something deeply wrong with Patrick Bateman. With a deep hatred for the world, he is a twisted murdering monster who enjoys killing men and women from all walks of life. Night time is when this soul-less man descends into madness and executes gruesome homicides. This Patrick Bateman truly is an American psycho.

    Mary Haron has directed this adaptation of the controversial novel of the same name. This film was released years after the novel's inception and didn't do well at the box office, but has since gained cult status on home video. The novel was controversial for its graphic depictions of murder and sexual content. Even though this movie was marketed as a horror/thriller, the murder sequences are not the film's highlight but may shock some people. The film is really an examination into Patrick Bateman's strange life and to find out if this psycho really has any limits.

    Delivering one of the best performances in 2000 is Christian Bale as the narcissistic Patrick Bateman. The term 'Psycho' clearly suits Bateman as the guy doesn't control his murderous tendencies and just kills, kills, and kills after he has formed some aspect of a relationship with someone. He may start talking to a homeless man and then kill him after he has expressed his disgust towards the poor guy. Or he may bring two prostitutes to his home, explain who he is, apply names to them, go on a rant about music, and then slice them apart after or during sex with them. Bale brings intensity, wits, and humor to this butcher roaming New York. Bale spent several months getting into shape for the narcissistic Bateman and bonus points goes to him for having such dedication for this role. You never know what Bateman is going to do next and Christian Bale just provides fuel to the character's murderous fire and moves the film along.

    The supporting cast of Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny, and others, work admirably well with Bale. The murder scenes may strike a nerve with some viewers as they are bloody and gruesome. The first hour of this film is really interesting as we learn of Bateman, his narcissism, greed, and his taste for 80's materialism. After that this film's steady flow runs out of steam and the movie repeats itself over again but it is not as interesting. By the end of it all we don't know who or what pushed Bateman over the edge in the first place and it appears he will go on in life not being found for his crimes.

    The ending may leave more questions than it answers, but American Psycho is funny, nerve striking, and smart in this telling of Patrick Bateman, one of Bale's iconic performances. This film may not appeal to the average movie watcher at first, but the film makes you think about Patrick Bateman, and you may be brought to the point to watch the film over and over again. Repeated viewings of American Psycho may change your rating of it each time, because this isn't considered a cult classic for nothing. People who can handle what this film is should check it out.

    "There are no more barriers to cross. All I have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem I have caused and my utter indifference toward it I have now surpassed. My pain is constant and sharp and I do not hope for a better world for anyone, in fact I want my pain to be inflicted on others. I want no one to escape, but even after admitting this there is no catharsis, my punishment continues to elude me and I gain no deeper knowledge of myself; no new knowledge can be extracted from my telling. This confession has meant nothing." - Patrick Bateman
  • December 19, 2009
    Ok... the film is quite good and features a great cast. But the ending is not satisfying!
  • December 18, 2009
    ok we all get wildly mad sometimes

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