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American Psycho

American Psycho

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Unrated... Worth it???
Review: American Psycho is a great movie. This review is for those who are having a hard time deciding between buying new (unrated) or just picking up a used one at Blockbuster.

The unrated just adds more sex in the 3 some scene. It does not add any violence.

If i had it to do over, I would buy the cheaper version.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: From a Teenager
Review: this movie is much more than a story about murders and sex. its a reflection of how our society refuses to realize warning signs. many times patrick bateman (christian bale), main characher, tells his "friends" and his "fiance" that he is crazy one time blattenly telling another man, "i like to dissect girls, did i tell you im utterly insane." in the book he carries around a cardboard sign sayin mass murderer. no one notices. hes invisible to people and they are so self absorbed they dont realize what hes tryin to tell them. i dont know if this is a great review but i do know that this is a great movie/book that should only be viewed by people who are willing to see past the sex and gore. yes i agree it is pretty apparent but its what you dont see that and what you realize that makes this movie great.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Disturbingly stylish!!
Review: This movie had a quite an impact on me. This guy, Bateman, is an absolute perfectionist in everything he does, from taking a shower to committing murder. Someone who kills just because another person has a better looking business card than you has issues. I found it disturbing, yet humorous. I'd recommend it to anyone with an open mind about headcases.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?
Review: My god, what a mess. Started off with some interest, was kicky in parts, especially the send-up of '80's nouvelle cuisine, the main character's job that involved no observable work, and the analysis of Huey Lewis, Phil Collins, and Whitney Houston pablum albums prior to murder and mayhem. It then spiraled into the ground, leaving no survivors. Imagine being forced to reread "Hannibal." Among it's MANY weaknesses:

1. Christian Bale's performance: Contrary to most reviews, Christian Bale gives a completely predictable,unskilled performance. Anthony Hopkins and Kathleen Turner have popularized the sangfroid of the urbane, sophisticated serial killer, but Bale doesn't even approach them. There's nothing new here. Instead of chilling imperturbability, we're given monotone and wood. Monotone and wood. Monotone and wood. Then, trying to shock us with contrast, his outbursts of violence look like they were choreographed by Chuck Jones of Warner Bros fame. Beep beep. Even his breakdown scene falls flat. We're left with all the subtlety of his earlier Spielberg role ("Empire of the Sun") without the final mercy of an American bombing run.

2. Annoying voice-over: I'm more forgiving of this technique than most, but the criticism is well deserved here. It's a poor substitute for tight story and competent direction. The main character's narcissism, the Wall Street milieu, his shallow and acquisitive colleagues, and his taste for insipid music should suffice to establish his soulless hollowness; there's no need for verbal cue cards. I suspect it's just the director's attempt to cut through the tedium of the movie and try to legitimize the film by evoking the novel.

3. Reese Witherspoon: Knowing what she's capable of, I can only conclude that she was hobbled by a bad script and sophomoric direction. Just a one-dimensional rehash of Madeline Kahn from Young Frankenstein and Gloria Upson from Auntie Mame. Talk about poo-poo undies. 4. Running gags: How many times does the viewer have to see the same jokes about business card fonts and the inability to get dinner reservations?

5. Dead-end plot devices: A private eye played by Willem Defoe and a case of mistaken identity that go nowhere. Was this bad editing or did the filmmaker forget herself. "Excuse me, I was looking for the set of 'Talented Mr Ripley'."

6. Direction and cinematography: Makes "Sliders" look pretty slick.

7. Derivative: There was NOTHING in this film that was not already done in "Silence of the Lambs," "Bright Lights, Big City," and "Serial Mom." In short, I've seen this film years ago at least three times, handled by much more talented directors.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I Hope Nobody Tries This At Home.
Review: I guess I'm publicly exposing myself as not being too clever by criticizing this movie, since some real smart people have praised it so highly.

If you don't already know, this piece of "art" is one long series of people being very casually stabbed, chopped, shot, nail-gunned, chain-sawed, and so forthed to death, along with an animal or two. And no, you don't see the ax actually hit the head, but you do see it swing and you see the blood fly and you see the bodies hung up on meat hooks in the closet afterwards.

I'm not much into these violent movies myself, but my wife likes somewhat scary ones and rented this thinking it was more of a straight-forward thriller. Some other reviewers interpreted this movie (correctly, I suppose) as being satirical, ironic, or funny, but we sure didn't see it that way. True, the whole thing was filled with an extreme bizarreness, but we did not find ourselves laughing. The only result for me was that "suspension of disbelief" never kicked in and I sat there shocked that anyone would make a film so full of so much stupid pointless violence. Actually I wound up reading a magazine throughout much of it. There wasn't any real story here that I could detect. Maybe If I hadn't been reading a magazine I could have figured out what the heck the ending was supposed to mean. Oh well.

I find it very disturbing that people would make such a movie as this and rake in their big bucks without ever stopping to think what might happen if some not-so-stable person watched it and decided to imitate it. Mind you, I'm by no means calling for any sort of government censorship here. In fact, I'm the chair of our local Libertarian Party affiliate and I devote considerable energy to fighting such governmental actions. But I also realize that the other side of the freedom coin is personal responsibility, including on the part of movie-makers. As I will continue to argue myself, those watching this type of movie must be held responsible for their own actions. And almost nobody who watches this one movie will get kicked over to the "dark side" and become a serial killer.

Almost nobody. But it's a big world, isn't it?

Again, I'm 100% against governmental action to restrict what we can see. But this is my private action. I'm telling you, don't encourage the scum that made this trash by spending your money on it. I wish we could get our money back. And I wish I could give it less than one star.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Its not a comedy!
Review: I just saw the movie, and decided to see wat you people had to say about it - and after reading 10, only one (Alexander from London, UK) seem to have captured the essence of the film. It is not a comedy but a studio in grotesk behavier and if it makes you laugh instead of being chocked or intriged you are seing it the wrong way. Allso the end seems to go over your head, DID he infact kill them all or did'nt he?!?! And you have to be a woman to suggest DeCaprio instead of Christian Bale, DeCaprio is way to little and not the actor that Bale is... All in all the movie keeps you watching intense but i think it should have bin made more scary - I would call it an interesting thriller with a twist and very well played, but not a classic.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Moving beyond adaptation
Review: While I agree that Harron and Turner's adaptation of Ellis' dialogue and themes is masterful, the subsequent presentation borders on the mundane. The writing duo trim the 399 page novel down to a workable film length, but then add certain mindnumbing and distracting scenes which cripple the pacing of the film. In particular, the chainsaw sequence becomes a lengthy chase scene reminiscent of a film student aping Brian Depalma aping Hitchcock. Derivative scenes such as that not only mar the film's pacing, but move the film from dark satirical comedy to ludicrous farce. Maybe Harron was a better choice than Oliver Stone or those pushing for a ultra-violent version, but better is relative and should not be confused with excellence.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best of 2000!
Review: American Psycho flat out rules! Part horror, part satire tale about a man name Patrick Bateman who basically isn't there. He basically has a nightly bloodthirst that grows and grows. I don't want to give anymore away, but the movie grows into a satire of the upperclass lifestyle in the 1980's. Very funny and violent at times, American Psycho is just a great movie. The Unrated Version DVD is very nice. The only additional footage in the Unrated Version is some added footage in the wild sex scene, and a little extra blood. The DVD is very nice with a featurette and a Christian Bale interview. All in all, AP is one of the greats of 2000, get it now!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: truly a bad movie...
Review: This is a dreary, ugly piece of garbage. There is absolutely no one or nothing to care about in this movie. There is no suspense, because there is no reason to care what happens. Christian Bale does a great job, there's just nothing for him to work with here. The usually likable William Dafoe isn't in the movie enough to develop any sense of who his character is. The only remotely sympathetic character is the killer's secretary, and she is also a minor character. All the other characters are completely dislikable.

I feel really horrible about throwing away the (money) on it because I've probably helped encourage Mary Harron to make another movie. This is really a bad movie with no redeeming qualities what so ever. The soundtrack consists of a lot of the worst music from the 80's (Huey Lewis and the News for example) combined with orchestral music that sounds like it came from a bad television show.

This movie was billed as a satire but there's really nothing funny or amusing about it. Its mostly just obnoxious, shallow people hanging out together. The movie is far to angry and empty to ever be witty or amusing even if the writers were capable of wit or intelligence. It consists of scenes where the yuppies try to get dinner reservations at fancy restraurants, admire each other's business cards, or pontificate on the greatness of Huey Lewis while killing someone.

Oh yea, there's also a scene where a dog gets stomped to death. Gee, that was hysterical.

If you want to see a much better movie in the same vein, see Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs, or Seven. These movies are much more intelligent and much better made. There are actually characters to care about in these movies and the soundtracks are great to.

Avoid this piece of crap at all costs and treat yourself to one of the above mentioned movies...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A disturbing satire of the 1980's......
Review: "American Psycho" is one of the most disturbing films I have seen all year. Christian Bale is frightening yet hilarious as the titular character Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street hot shot who indulges in his sick pleasures by night. He murders homeless people, prostitutes and even his own friends. Bateman is a character who feels nothing and cares about nothing save his own material possessions and outward appearance. "American Psycho" is much less gory than the novel on which it is based. Instead of being a straight horror film "American Psycho" wisely opted to be an original satire on the materialism of the 1980's. The film opens with a bang and possesses the same sick and funny energy until the end when it begins to lag a bit. But for the most part of the film I was interested in Patrick Bateman's tale. If you enjoy dark humor and have a strong stomach, I strongly suggest this film. It's not a film I would want to watch over and over again. It's not a classic, but it is still a good film.


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