Rating: 
Summary: AN OUTSTANDING HORROR FILM
Review: While watching this film I was astonished. This film is very gruesome and grisly and it almost made my stomach turn. And if the whole film were based on violence and only violence then I probably would not have enjoyed it as much as I did. This film is not just about murder, it is about a man, (although he really doesn't even call himself a human being) who is pushed over the edge by the smallest things, if someone has a better penthouse, or a better business card, or even a better suit this is grounds for murder. He tells us that he has all of the characteristics of a human being but none of the emotional feelings. His only feelings are of lust and greed and he only cares for himself. It really gives you insight into his mind and he really explains why he is so violent. note: this film is definitely not for anyone under the age of 18!!
Rating: 
Summary: Murderous Misanthrope
Review: (My following comments may give away essential plot points.)The movie puts us in the mind of a mad man, Patrick Bateman, who's telling us his story. Identity is a hard thing to come by in his Wall Street world, even for his male colleagues, with their unexplained misogynism. Work, living address, clothes, restaurants frequented and particularly the design of one's business card are vital means for providing this. Attempting to explain the point of everything to his fiancee, Bateman says in his careful pronunciation, "Because I want to fit in." Bateman's story is complicated by his increasing insanity. He tells us that he's very aware that he's not what he pretends to be. But he's unaware in his storytelling that much if not all of his overpowering, murderous mental state is not really acted out. We know this because of the completely outrageous and careless way his crimes are committed. And secondly his desperate point blank confessions lack supporting physical evidence or response from the listener. These confessions and Bateman's efforts to maintain composure produce a degree of pathos for a wretched and despicable character. There are dark humorous touches in the movie. One is Bateman's smooth, practiced critique of the profundity of the pop music that he plays during some of his crimes. Above all the movie is not a gore fest.
Rating: 
Summary: A documentary for psychotic people.
Review: Oh my gosh. This was the most disturbing movie I have ever seen. If you were disturbed by Natural Born Killers, then you ain't seen nothin' yet. I was in the theater laughing at things I felt horrible for laughing at. I was laughing at a serial killer, and so was everyone else in the theater. A guy sitting beside me said to me, "I feel bad for laughing at this but I can't help it." It was true, you couldn't. The movie was a social satire on the emphasis on materialism of the 80's. It was about an investment banker, and his fellow collegues. They would try to outdo each other in everything. One of their favorite things to do was to compare business cards. When someone would have a nicer card than Bateman, the main character, he would get one step closer to complete insanity.The first person he killed was a guy from work, whom he really didn't like. He took him out for drinks, got him drunk, and then took him home. When they got to Bateman's house, he had newspaper spread out all over the floor, with a chair with a sheet on it in the middle. This is where the collegue sat down. From that point you knew what was going to happen. Bateman goes over to the CD player and puts on Huey Lewis and the News, Sports album, and then starts a running commentary on the band while Hip to be Square is playing, and while he is preparing to kill the guy.He goes into the kitchen, puts on a raincoat, and picks up an alluminum polished axe. So shiny you could use it as a mirror for shaving. He then walks into the room, and the guy asks him if that is a raincoat he is wearing. He smiles and says yes.The guy then proceeds to ask him if that is an axe, and Bateman replies pleasently, with a big grin on his face, "Yes it is, and I'm going to kill you with it."He then proceeds to chop the guy up with Hip to Be Square playing in the background. Then we all started laughing. I don't know if it was because of the bizarness of the scene, or if it was genuinely funny to us. Regardless, I think that everyone felt wrong about laughing at it. He goes on to kill some other people in the same ways. By that I mean that each murder has music playing in the background, and him giving the history of the performer. It ends very strangely.I won't tell you how, because I recommend you watch it, if you are an adult, that isn't on the verge of going psychotic, because if you are, this one may be more of a documentary, than a work of fiction for you.THE GOODChristian Bale did an excellent job of playing this Bateman guy. He really acted psychotic. The story was interesting. It was a story of a cry for help, and the way people who only care about status don't care about anything else.THE BADThat a movie can make you laugh at this kind of stuff. I'm not sure if it is right to find this sort of thing humorus, but in the situation of this movie, I think the filmakers were trying to show the absurdity of the status issue.THE BOTTOM LINELike I said, definitely not for kids, but I reccommend you see it if you can handle it. It is by far one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen.I'll give this one a B-.
Rating:
Summary: What a movie!
Review: This has got to be one of the best black comedies I have ever seen. For the first part of the movie I could not help but laugh out loud. It is hilarious! But (not having read the book) guess who got sucked in and suckered out with the ending? This is class in a glass. The music, the clothes, the Master of the Universe yuppies all go to build a great background. Then there is Patrick Bateman (an outstanding performance by Christian Bale but more on that later)- a designer quoting, 1000 stomach crunches a day, body exfoliating and facial masking kind of corporate success you could see anywhere in the 80s. But of course Patrick is different. He kills: he kills with hammers, axes, staple guns (a real big one), chain saws. He decapitates, delimbs, hangs bodies up in his closet or just shoots them. This is all done in such a stylised way that it is funny - not horrific. But strongest of all is his narcissism. Because Patrick is just another screwed up yuppie who dreams all these murders, who cannot tell the difference between reality and a daydream but who is really no different to all his other peers. I loved this movie because it took me in one direction (the black comedy, the blood, the psychosis of a man losing control) but then it kicked me back to a very cerebral and deeply intuitive understanding of human nature and the rage within. Best of all was Christian Bale who I must admit I had not seen since Empire of the Sun. After you watch this DVD look at his interview. The difference between the character he plays and the actor himself is amazing to watch. What a performance, what an actor. So give your self a good kick up the backside and watch this.
Rating:
Summary: Christian Bale the intriguing hottie does it again
Review: Not a movie to watch with your parents.Being a 16 year old girl i found the kinky sex scenes a bit much to watch with older folks. The movie was outstanding though. For some it may be confusing as you must determine which things in it are real and which are figments of imagination. Christian Bale is a wonderfully talented and attractive star who makes the movie. Also equipped with a catchy soundtrack this movie is a definite must see!
Rating: 
Summary: American Psycho Lite : Less sex and gore - more tasteful
Review: They sure changed the flavor of the book that I read! Instead of making the book into a movie .. they made a movie from some highschool girls book report about the book. Being in high school she either .. A) didn't really read the book and only wrote her report about a few chapters or portions of chapters B) had to leave out the sexy, gruesome stuff or parents and teachers would get upset OR C) Didn't understand any of it so she wrote her book report about only the simplest parts that she did understand. This is what happens when a story that couldn't and probably shouldn't have been made into a movie - gets turned over to a production company that only wants to use the notoriety of the title to sell tickets. Once you are in the theater they can show you any story as long as the names of the characters are unchanged from the book, the locale and key catch lines and phrases remain. Although the acting performances were excellent when judged on their own merit .. American Psycho was so totally sanitized that it came out looking like "The Shining Does Wall Street" with an ending plucked straight out of the "Dallas" TV night time soap! Patrick Bateman/Bobby Ewing really didn't do any of those things .. only in his mind/dream. The NOVEL left you UNDECIDED as to the reality of the deeds .. this MOVIE softens the whole thing and all but superimpose an "IMAGINARY KILLER" caption over Bateman's headshot at the end. This film should have been called "AMERICAN PSYCHO LITE". I realize how distateful the book was but why turn it into a Saturday matinee? I'd much rather they had not made the movie at all than to have to soak it in so much estrogen that it was drained of all its energy. Director Harron should find some windows to wash or cookies to bake ... where are Wes Craven and David Cronenberg when you really need them? If you have not read the book, watch the movie. If you have read the book ... flee .. and keep your mental images intact!
Rating:
Summary: The Potential, Oh The Potential
Review: Being an avid fan of the book, I was, suffice to say, interested and intrigued when it was announced that Mary Harron had decided to adapt this harrowing satire to celluloid. Would she substitute the violence and explicitly detailed sex to dwell on Bateman's nefarious psychosis and the possibility that his madness originates from his environment? Would she take the gamble and keep those two damning elements in order to emphasize Bateman's lack of coherent humanity? The possibilities were endless. In the end... I was both delighted and disappointed with the finished work. The cinematography alone needs to be commended for its excellent portrayal of the hollow office corridors and interior designs which make up the film's setting. Never have gleaming white walls and overly sylized penthouses seemed so sterile and devoid of life. Ironically, the film's impeccable and spotless imagery only reflects the madness inherent in Bateman's outlook on life. Christian Bale's performance is at times frighteningly good and hilariously ludicrous. The telephone confession to his lawyer after the surreal street chase displays his firm command of Bateman's neurosis. However, the scene where he suddenly reveals himself to 'Christie' after savagely biting Elizabeth under the bedsheets is just laughable and horribly cliched (sudden cut to his face, bloody mouth, cackling, etc.). And I could've done with his stupid diatribes on his musical tastes. But... On the other hand, this film was indeed a let down. Clocking a little over 90 minutes, this film was painfully short and desperately needed a more convincing and less ambiguous ending. Several amazing scenes from the novel, such as the 'Killing Child At Park,' 'Concert,' and 'A Glimpse of a Thursday Afternoon' chapters, were left out. Luis Carruthers, who plays a significant role in the novel, is on-screen for no more than ten minutes. And Bateman's hilarious cynicism of his associates is barely touched on. As for the original NC-17 rating, the MPAA should hang their heads in shame. Even with the 'explicit' sex scene intact, the film was surprisingly nongratuitious. The violence is mostly implied, and with the exception of a couple of scenes of Bateman in the shower (from behind), there is no real nudity. And that's the thing: what ultimately made this a poor reflection of the novel is the emphasis on implying rather than revealing, which the novel did so well to reinforce the theme. Recommended, but view with an open mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: The only thing good about this movie is that it wasn't long enough to waste two hours of my life, just 1.5. It just goes on and on, and about halfway through it stops making sense. Hollywood physics runs rampant through this movie. As well, it has the bumbling Hollywood police who apparently never do anything right except die as quickly as possible. Beyond that, the main character just drones on and on about bad 80's music. To put it simply, its not even remotely scary, it does NOT make you think about anything except why am I watching this, and the only people who would laugh at this are complete idiots. You should want better. Thank you
Rating:
Summary: Where is the ending?
Review: While I enjoyed most of this movie I just have to wonder what happened to the ending? It left too many unanswered questions and too many useless characters.
Rating:
Summary: sharp satire of yuppies
Review: No doubt about it, Mary Harrion's "American Psycho" is definitely not for every taste and audience demographic. The good news is, perhaps, that the film is nowhere near as gruesome and gory as both its subject matter and its controversial nature would lead one to believe. In fact, its tone of ironic comic detachment helps to de-emphasize the more sordid aspects of the material and to instead highlight the film's bitingly satiric message. Set in the mid-1980's, "American Psycho" casts a scathing eye on the then-brand new, up-and-coming group of 20-something executives known as "yuppies." Patrick Bateman, the psycho of the title, is a man who literally seems to have everything - stunning good looks, a fantastic physique, a beautiful fiancé, a diploma from Harvard and a successful career as a Wall Street executive. Yet, alone of the young men with whom he consorts, Patrick flatly admits to us in voice-over narration that he is literally an empty-suit - that his perfectly maintained outer appearance, seemingly well-ordered social routine and empty, superficial personal relationships merely mask the moral emptiness that lurks at the core of his soul. Much of the complexity of Patrick's character comes from the fact that he seems, paradoxically, to be both obsessed with the idea of conforming to the values of the world he lives in, and, at the same time, being strangely conscious of their unreality and meaninglessness. Thus, we see him becoming almost emotionally unglued because he fears he will not be able to reserve the proper table at a posh upscale restaurant or because he feels that one of his corporate buddies has a more impressive looking business card than he does. Much of Patrick's madness has its roots in the kind of obsessive-compulsive paranoia that arises from the modern insistence that life should and, indeed, can be converted into a perfect, problem-free existence if one just has enough money and a sufficient amount of the right "stuff" to make it that way. Frankly admitting that he feels no emotional attachment to any other human beings, Patrick is thereby free to channel his madness into its ultimate anti-social, taboo-shattering shape and form: serial killing. Thus, as days turn to nights, Patrick begins to rack up his victims and potential victims - a homeless man, assorted prostitutes, an ex-girlfriend, an unctuous business associate, even some policemen who get wise to his activities later in the film. Luckily for the squeamish among us, far more of the film's running time is devoted to a comic rather than thriller mode. The brittle, dryly humorous Mary Harrion/Guinevere Turner screenplay mines the corporate world milieu and the twisted rantings of a values-free mind for all their black comedy potential. Christian Bale brings a remarkable subtlety to a touchy role, managing to seem coolly alluring, chillingly detached, touchingly pathetic and wryly amusing all at the same time. Special credit should go to the stark, almost antiseptic look the filmmakers achieve through the art direction and set design, a look that matches in visual terms the moral and emotional emptiness of the characters and their world. Much was made of the anti-woman tone of the novel at the time of its initial release. Perhaps because the writers and the director are themselves women, the movie seems to have toned down that aspect quite a bit. Indeed, as in a movie like "In the Company of Men," we find ourselves not so much appalled as sadly bemused by the vehemently anti-women comments uttered by Patrick and his cronies because we see what shallow losers these men really are. Harrion and Turner obviously know whereof they speak. To reiterate, "American Psycho" may not be everyone's cup of cinematic tea, but those looking for a sharp little satire of modern American life will find some definite rewards.
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