Starring Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Chloë Sevigny, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Cara Seymour, Samantha Mathis
Directed by Mary Harron
Expectations: Moderate.
American Psycho is a tough movie to categorize. It’s not really a horror movie, or a drama, or a dark comedy, but it exhibits many traits of all three genres. It makes for an interesting movie to say the least, but unfortunately it’s a bit soulless so it ends up being less than it could be. The soulless nature of the film is a reflection of its main character though, and perfectly portrays the 1980s culture of narcissism and the “dog eat dog” mentality of corporate America. This element is arguably a great strength, despite my personal dislike of it, and helps director Mary Harron do exactly what she sets out to do when making the film.
Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman, Wall Street exec and all-around yuppie stereotype. He’s ultra-narcissistic and self-serving and Bale plays the role convincingly and with ease. The entire supporting cast is great as well, but as Bale hogs up most of the runtime, they are all relegated to fairly minor parts, so don’t get too excited looking at the cast list. Willem Dafoe is only in three or four short scenes, for instance. This is completely Bale’s film and he proves here why he has become the star he is today. Those who don’t generally care for his performances may not be won over with his work here, but he does craft a career-defining role that never feels forced or unnatural. I’ve always felt that Bale possessed something of a psychotic nature so he’s a good fit in the film, but maybe I’m just buying into his wonderful method acting in this and the Nolan Batman films.