American Psycho

American Psycho: A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

Introduction

Now I know what it feels like to get mind fcked. If you’ve seen memes of Christian Bale wearing that white translucent raincoat dancing and laughing, it came from this film and I urge you to watch it. Its so good, and that feeling you’re left with after the credits rolled is… memorable.

“In New York City in 1987, a handsome, young urban professional, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), lives a second life as a gruesome serial killer by night. The cast is filled by the detective (Willem Dafoe), the fiance (Reese Witherspoon), the mistress (Samantha Mathis), the coworker (Jared Leto), and the secretary (Chloë Sevigny). This is a biting, wry comedy examining the elements that make a man a monster.”

Patrick Bateman

Christian Bale (as Patrick Bateman), the American Psycho, was phenomenal. Widely known for being Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, Bale excelled years before The Dark Knight ever came out, and this is one of his most famous works. You’d also see him be as someone you wouldn’t expect—a psychopath.

This is an iconic performance from Bale, showing his versatility by having multiple personalities and switching from one to the other in between scenes. A performance comparable to Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Breadcrumbs All The Way

You really have to pay attention when watching this. Everything that will be said have meaning. No dialogue had been wasted. No scene was a filler. Each is a puzzle to Bateman’s psychotic mind and how he views himself and the world around him. American Psycho will have you figuring things out until the end.

The Message

The message was pretty clear. The Yuppie culture from the 1980s was full of narcissistic young people and only thought of getting ahead of everyone else or trying hard to fit in. Going after the grandest of social status regardless if one could really afford it. And yes the Yuppie culture is still alive and kicking today.

Final Thoughts

American Psycho will forever be on top of crime thrillers list of anyone who is a fan of the genre. A satire film about people being obsessed with materialistic things and detached from one’s reality, only to fuel their social status in life. 20, 50, 100 years from now, the Yuppie culture will still be relative and Bateman will be dancing in the shadows whilst holding an axe.