Day 110 - American Psycho

Day 110          American Psycho [2000]

                          

Screenplay                    Mary Harron & Guinevere Turner

Based on                       ‘American Psycho’ by Bret Easton Ellis

Director                         Mary Harron

Cinematography             Andrzej Sekuła

Music                            John Cale

Leads                            Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross, Cara Seymour

Production                     Edward R. Pressman Productions, Muse Productions

IMDb                                 7.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes                68%

Wow. Christian Bale take a bow. Mary Harron too. In fact, everyone involved should take a bow. Disclaimer: I haven’t read the book and I’m not sure how true to the book the film is – so I’m just going to ignore that side of things. This film is about privileged 28-year-old young urban professional Patrick Bateman (Bale) who lives a second life as a serial killer. The film is a satire of sorts, poking fun at the post-modern world of young businessmen whose only thoughts other than how much money they make are getting the best dinner reservation and owning the most professional business cards. This materialism is backed up by misogyny, classism and racism. We hate Bateman but can’t stop watching him, like watching someone handle a tarantula. The ending is rather confusing, so much so that Harron has stated her regret at its ambiguity. I could launch into a discussion about the ending, and theories on what really happened, but it would be a bit of an essay and there would be spoilers aplenty so perhaps I’ll write about it another time (new section coming soon?!). The acting is brilliant all round, what a cast. Though they are all secondary to Bale, whose character is so perfect in every way on the outside – handsome, charming, fashionable and with the body of a Greek god – but on the inside he is a poisonous narcissist with a taste for blood. It is a chilling portrayal of Bateman (a reference from Ellis to Norman Bates in Psycho probably?) that leaves us with iconic moments. The opening morning routine scene, the chainsaw chase, the business card comparisons and the Huey Lewis scene (trying hard not to include spoilers). Sekuła provides some camera mastery and Cale is spot on with his chosen tracks which often disarm before the horror.  A lot of critics have branded the film as ‘empty’ or ‘rooted in banality’. This infuriates me. Why do so many ‘top’ movie critics look for a message behind every movie or an exciting twist or a comment on reality? THERE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ONE. Can we not just enjoy movies individually? Perhaps it goes without saying that movie reviews are all one particular reviewer’s opinion, but I just wanted to make that clear, so that no-one gets put off by a review. I encourage you to watch the movies I have rated badly, and form your own opinion, otherwise we’re all just sheep. Watch this film though it’s great. That’s what I thought at least.

Acting                             4 / 4

Writing                         3.5 / 4

Cinematography           3.5 / 4

Music                              3 / 4

HWF rating              3.5 / 4