Rating: 
Summary: One of 2000's very few best!
Review: I was very disappointed with the seemingly never-ending strain of terrible movies that were released last year; Me Myself and Irene, Love and Basketball, Nurse Betty, Boys and Girls, Big Momma's House, Romeo Must Die - just plain, awful, awful movies! What ever happened to good old fashioned entertainment that we see so little of in movies now? With Erin Brockovich, I will make a modest exception, but that film was otherwise too overstated for its' own good.Granted American Psycho is not a film for all tastes, and certainly not for the squeamish. Some people loved this movie, and some people hated it. So it is probably a matter of taste. I personally loved it. Most of all because it was so stylish, something movies these days lack so much. The performances were great - especially Christian Bale, who in his striking performance did not seem to be acting at all - he WAS Patrick Bateman. Based upon Bret Easton Ellis' novel of a successful Wall Street yuppie who has unusual ways of having his way with women whom he catches fancy. It is not until later we realize there is more to Patrick Bateman than meets the eye. Not only because his executive Jared Leto mistakes him for another nerdy co-worker. In a way Patrick Bateman symbolizes everything that can go awry in man-woman relationships; temptation, greed, pride, a real music lover, and ultimately overcome by urges he has little control over. In his case, finding woman to..do in. But when time is short, a man will suffice. And Bale presents this very well in one of the best scenes in the entire movie, which I will leave a surprise. Director Mary Harron, fresh off the success of I Shot Andy Warhol brings an unusual symbolism to American Psycho. The film copies Alfred Hitchcock by camera angles (perhaps more reminiscent of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the sleeping female victim at one angle, and the knife wielding killer at the other angle), Andy Warhol with blood and gore (albeit-edited very well), An American Werewolf in London with in far away camera shots the victim running and the camera being the killer's eyes (I love that old trick!), and Edgar G. Ulmer's 1934 classic The Black Cat with mystery and suspense (alas you never know what Bateman is going to do next), and that is all the more reason to sit through it all. After your first viewing you may be put off by all of the bloodshed and murders, that you were left wondering what you had to gain from the two hours you spent watching this. Speaking of Andy Warhol, one could almost view Patrick Bateman and Christian Bale as almost a modern day Udo Kier type character actor. One can never forget the opening scene from Blood for Dracula; Dracula grooming himself in front of a mirror that casts no reflection. Whether Bateman is doing his daily exercises, his shower routines, relaxing at the office, prowling the streets, or simply lounging at his apartment with his victims-to-be explaining of the vitality of Phil Collins', Huey Lewis', or Whitney Houston's greatest hits, Christian Bale gives the character the perfect persona of a man almost tortured from his own desires. Consider a divorced, Harvard educated gentleman trying to keep his patience when presenting a phony Vice President business card to his peers, when everyone else has something better than him. And the next person something even better. Another prime example of what any moderately sane man would do under such conditions. For what it's worth American Psycho does have it's points of interest, it's sense of creativity, and symbolism. You cannot help but wonder though - was something left out? You be the judge. Again this film is not recommended to just anyone, but it certainly has more vitality than any other film of 2000.
Rating: 
Summary: An Entertainment-Free Movie For Most
Review: What would the world be like if the stereotypes of the 80's Wall Street Yuppie were extrapolated to the extreme? The shallowest characters ever seen, bantering endlessly about restaurant reservations and business card printing. The emptiness leading a man to psychotic fantasies about inhuman slayings, thus the destination of 80's materialism. As a documentary of a characterization of a stereotype of the 80's, the movie succeeds, and that is its only attraction. If you love bashing 80's materialism and yuppies, you may get gut satisfaction out of this movie and use it to reinforce your world-view. Otherwise, it is detached from reality, it has no plot, the characters are deliberately ultra-shallow, and it is not entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: the worst movie of the year!
Review: this film is garbage. poor acting, even worse dialogue, and for fans to even compare it to Fight Club or Natural Born Killers is an absolute disgrace. having a script with zero substance and no compelling characters must have been a real pleasure for the director to work with. along with Virgin Suicides, this would rank as my least favorite DVD rental in the past 12 months.
Rating: 
Summary: Christian can be my American Psycho anytime!!
Review: From the moment i heard about this movie i knew it was something unique. Most people say that its sick and non-entertaining but it is clever and almost comical. Christian Bale stunningly portrays Patrick Bateman in the most real to life way possible. Bale succeeds in entering the mind of a psycho. The movie is beautiful in every way and grips you until the end. Great cast make this a memorable movie. Its a must see movie!!
Rating:
Summary: Often overlooked film of 2000
Review: Unfortunately for "American Psycho," the book has already garnered such a notoriously controversial stature that the film itself has a difficult task in trying to win over viewers. Like "Natural Born Killers," many people may have already made up their minds about this movie long before they even consider watching it. Like "The Fight Club, "American Psycho" is a movie that could not be more misunderstood. Sure, this is about a psychopath on the most childishly obvious of all levels, but most of all this is satire on the yuppies of the mid to late 80's. It is an exploration in the hollow, meaningless existence of a rich Wall Street stock broker. A man who's life is so consumed by greed and power lunches that he can only find salvation whilst murdering someone. All the best scenes of "American Psycho" occur in the first three quarters of an hour. Christian Bale meticulously describes his morning routine with hilarious results and constantly tries to explain the significance of 1980's pop music. "The Greatest Love of All's transcendant beauty makes it by far Whitney Houston's most accomplished record" he claims, before butchering two girls. There is also a perfect scene in which Bale and his peers spend ten minutes arguing over who's business card font is better. The violence (and sex) may be unsettling to some but is often times hilarious if you are willing to take it with a grain of salt. How can you not laugh when a bank machine asks Bale to "feed me a stray cat?" This is a very clever and sophisticated film that could be perceived incorrectly. It is one of 2000's finer movies and deserves something better than to be overlooked because of the book's notoriety.
Rating: 
Summary: Yuppie,Psycho Killer Black Comedy.
Review: Imagine a combination of Bonfire of the Vanities, Fight Club and Theatre of Death and you'll get an idea of what the film American Psycho is like-- Yuppies, testosterone, and high camp. It zeroes in on the easiest of targets, and delights in skewering the yuppie life-style in sick and sadistic fashion. Well that's not exactly true -- in Bret Easton Ellis' 1991 best-seller the victims were mostly mercilessly tortured before they were brutally killed and every detail was grimly described. It was a very disturbing book. It almost wasn't published. The film however, barely touches on the sadism and misogyny of the book. It's a poseur film, skimming the surfaces of already overly- skimmed surfaces, making very easily made points, and getting very obvious and easy laughs. This compromise is significant when compared to the book, the book took the plunge and never came up for air. That's why the book just won't go completely away, it might not have a lot on its mind, but it sure cuts right to the bone. Forget about the book, though, few have actually read it. Quite a few bought it and started to read it, but most didn't finish it. It's too gross, too bloody, too bleak, too sick, and too repetitious. I was surprised at how much fun I had while watching the film, knowing what a watered down compromise it is. Perhaps watching the yuppies of the 80's getting their deserved bashing is the updated equivalent of snobby rich folks who wind up getting hit with pies in Three Stooges shorts. It's quite fun. Another big reason for enjoying it all so much is Christian Bale. He plays the part with the kind of put on airs the reminded me of some not quite human mix of Vincent Price and James Mason trapped inside a California type male model. And though the performance is mannered, it doesn't feel forced. It's not a performance coming from a stage actor ,who would be too keenly aware of when an audience might be reacting or laughing. It's the type of performance a film actor like DeNiro, would have delivered to us when he was younger. Now Bale hardly looks like an average New Yorker as Patrick Bateman but I found the performance very entertaining. It carries the film. Patrick Bateman is an extremely successful business man, his dad is a major stockholder so he's got job security and so is bored and easily distracted. Patrick plays the competitive game with his co-workers, making sure he has the latest gadgets, the right shoes, the expensive tailored suits. He must keep fit and look good and employs an exacting ritual involving soaps, creams, facial masks and herbal lotions to make sure he looks his best every day. He works out obsessively, sometimes while watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However, he barely has his own identity. A running joke in the film has him being mistaken for one of his co-workers. A key scene in the film involves an in-depth analysis and discussion about Business Cards. Low key, but specially designed business cards that the young Yuppie's talk about and become envious of. Eventually we realize that Patrick Bateman (reminiscent of the similarly named Norman Bates) has a strange hobby. He likes to kill. We first see his dark side when a street person begs him for money. Suddenly, Bateman savagely stabs the pitiful beggar. Afterward he straightens his clothing, sighs, and goes about his business. Just a way to relieve some stress, a way to cope with the pressure. In other words, here's a Yuppie who has completely twisted any sense of morals to believe someone else's life is as insignificant as a two year old BMW. Can he really get away with this? We find out he sure can. He seems unstoppable. The film could have wound up being flat and stale. But it never is. It's a film about style, made with some flair and it feels fresher than it has any right to. This is because there is a feminist viewpoint brought to the film by Mary Harron who directed and co-wrote the film with Guinevere Turner. The film's Patrick Bateman is a selfish, self obsessed, type A driven male. A fragile, preening creature that is not an atypical Hollywood movie serial killer nor a killer who murders when in a homicidal rage. In fact this killer prefers to control the stage he kills in, often able to provide his own background music, maybe something by Huey Lewis, or maybe something by Phil Collins. Patrick Bateman is a big fan of songs like It's Hip to Be Square and SuSudio. To Patrick Bateman, killing is his true orgasm. He can control himself for short periods of time, but he's weak, he's male and he's gonna blow sooner or later. He's going to kill and kill again. Maybe all this killing is even all in his mind -- nothing more than a twisted yuppie fantasy. Then again, perhaps it's not. Whatever he can't completely control --he kills. If something gets through to him, touches him, or exposes something vulnerable,-- he kills. Willem Dafoe playing a detective on Bateman's trail was a great idea, but nothing is done with it, and Reese Witherspoon seems the kind of future trophy wife a guy like Bateman would have. Jared Leto plays the kind of Yuppie scum everyone hates. In fact we hate this guy so much he makes Bateman palatable. His character is named Paul Allen which is funnier now, (particularly to someone in the NorthWest) than it was when the book was written. Chloe (Boys Don't Cry) Sevigny as a secretary who has a crush on Bateman makes a real impression. She finds a sweetness within her character that humanizes and warms every scene she's in. Without her performance the film would be a completely cold exercise in style. Cara Seymour plays a prostitute Bateman picks up to play games. She finds a fascinating balance of fear, vulnerability, need and self-loathing in her portrayal and makes a lasting impression though her screen time is short. It's a sick black comedy with some truly twisted ideas. The gore in the film however is not as plentiful as you might think and none of it feels real enough to be disturbing.
Rating:
Summary: possibly the greatest movie ever made!
Review: this is the greatest movie I have ever seen, it is so brilliant that it boggles the mind. I cannot understand why no one can comprehend its sheer brilliance. You seriously have to pay attention to THE DIALOGUE... it totally explains the movie's ending... so put on the closed captioning, people! And you too will see the sheer brilliance of this movie. And remember as always... CHRISTIAN BALE IS GOD.
Rating:
Summary: Dark Satire, rather than Horror flick... a gem.
Review: Patrick Bateman, the yuppie serial killer du jour created by Bret Easton Ellis, is obsessed with all things superficial. Ellis' written world is full of super-attractive young men with secret killer ways. He wallows in his protagonist's masochistic behavior and only occasionally manages to step back and comment on his behavior on a larger scale. Patrick Bateman is intended to be the metaphor for Reaganism on the kill but somehow this message is muddled amidst the non-stop name-dropping and unending detail that Ellis gives to Bateman's ritualistic killings.
Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) one-ups Ellis in just about every department with her screen adaptation. The fact that many designers did not grant Harron the permission to use their names in the film could have been a Godsend because it forces Harron to focus on the more relevant nuances of her character. Harron brilliantly establishes Bateman's attraction for all things narcissistic in a scene where he describes his daily facial rejuvenating process while standing in front of his bathroom mirror. If you combine that moment with Bateman's non-stop exercise regime and his desire to dine at the fanciest of restaurants, you have a Bateman that is concerned with nothing more than his own beautification. The infamous threesome scene that slapped the film with an NC-17 rating is a great one because it shows Bateman, played with astonishing madness by Christian Bale, completely detached from the act of sex. Much like Ellis' portrait of Bateman, he is a man more concerned with performance than with the actual act of sex. While having sex with the women he looks at himself in the mirror. He is making love to himself, enjoying his muscular body as it masochistically berates the women. Although Patrick Bateman is a completely loathsome soul, Harron appropriately adds a certain human element to her psycho killer. Even though Bateman admits over voice-over that he is devoid of any emotion there is a scene in the movie where we get a sense that he is seeking some sort of salvation from the world he has created for himself. After bringing his secretary (Chloe Sevigny) to his apartment, he has her leave after telling her that if she doesn't he might do something horrible to her. Bateman's sadistic ways are certainly a product of some twisted childhood or adult experiences but Harron does not choose to focus on this. There is a tongue-in-cheek moment where Bateman apologizes to a dinner-date for being late by saying that he is a `product of divorce' but this is about the only glimpse we get into the character's pre-killer days. It's as if Harron is flippantly teasing us with the comment, knowing that we are itching for some sort of Freudian psychoanalysis of her character. The gore is at a significantly lesser scale than one would be expected considering source material. Aside from one astonishingly executed sequence where a prostitute (Cara Seymour) flees from Patrick down some stairs, the killings in the film are handled in a comedic, albeit disturbing, way. The women in the film do not get much characterization but this is an appropriate thing when you consider that the film is shot through Bateman's eyes, a man that is little concerned with the motivations of his victims. There is a moment at the end of Psycho's wonderful finale where the characters are watching a presidential address by Reagan. They blankly comment on the program and we basically learn that their lives will continue as is. I wish there were more of these moments because so much of Psycho's substance lies in the way that these men are seen as products of the society that was created under Reagan's America. Bateman's soul is one that is consumed by greed and it seems that he has been given a second chance by film's end. Whether he will take this exit or continue this masquerade is open to interpretation and perhaps dependent on whatever political shift should sway the nation.
Rating:
Summary: A Sharp, Potent, Slick, Funny & Ultimately Disturbing Satire
Review: American Psycho may be one of the most carefully crafted, and exceptionally filmed movies in recent memory. That depends, of course, how you percieve the movie. Educated viewers will catch the importance of the film, and realise that this is really an art film - less experienced viewers will probably call it sick. That it mind, the film is ultimately recommended to viewers that want to challenge their minds (this is for mature audiences only). The film itself is about a 1980s yuppie, played so beautifully by Christain Bale. As the film progresses, we have an awareness that he is insanse, but rarely see any evidence to back this up (sure he's bad... but I've seen MUCH worse). However, after establishing that leasurely pace, the film strikes with sharp, blatantly shocking images of violence and mayem. Basically, the acts of murder get more and more disturbing until we finally realise just how sick and out-of-touch this person is. Of course, there is much to praise about the film. The performances are over-the-top (with a great appearance by Willem Dafoe - one of my favorite actors). The set designs are absolutely amazing, most notably the spacious and "arty" apartment! All throughout, there are great references to the 1980s, and the film contains some pretty funny sequences (the most hilarious being a card contest). But this does not detract from the bloody excesses, which might offend those viewers who are not accustomed to seeing blatant scenes of gore and splatter. Many people have read the book by Ellis, and might be cautious to seeing the movie. However, the violence in the movie is far less than in the book and most of the pornographic sadism that was so evident in the novel is missing. So if you're tired of "contemperary cinema", with connect-the-dot movies that insult your intelligence, sit down and watch American Psycho. Oh.. and a thankful nod to the filmmakers for putting in that footage from THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - perfect in this film!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Just Stare At It. Eat It. It's A Period Piece.
Review: I have to say, personally, that "American Psycho" was one of the better films to be released in the year 2000. Compared to the other drivel and cliched movies that Hollywood released, expecting the audiences to unquestioningly choke down with their popcorn, "American Psycho" was a stand out and well-worth checking out, in my opinion. The main character, Patrick Bateman (played by Christian Bale), is the perfect example of the limitless clones that wondered through their selfish and uncaring lives in the American 1980s, devoid of any sense of common human morals and sense of decency. He works and lives Wallstreet, and what sets him apart from his other Harvard Vs. Yale "friends" is that he is completely and utterly insane. While his co-workers are stressing over deciding on which font setting looks best on their business cards and trying to get reservations at the stylish restaurant of the week, Bateman is struggling with his unquenchable lust to murder. The movie takes off from there, trying to show whether or not Patrick will go too far with his evil desires. What I really liked about "American Psycho," besides the fact that it was better than 90% of the other films released in 2000, was that it didn't rely on gore and gratuitous violence to create an entertaining movie. The fact is that most of the violence is implied. Movies like "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" in the recent resurface in the teen horror flick genre have featured more violence and have left me more disturbed in its visual violence than in watching "American Psycho." Another aspect is that each actor or actress works very well in his or her part, each showing the total insignificance of one person to the other in the corrupt business world of the 1980s. Some characters don't show up as much because they are just not important, and especially not meaningful to Patrick Bateman. The 1980s are captured very well in this film. From the discussions Bateman has about popular music acts of the time to sly references to sitcoms. This film works very well on three levels: first as a satire of the Yuppie Wallstreet era of the 1980s; second, as a murderous dark comedy; and third, as a surreal look into the mind of a very disturbed individual. If you like dark comedies much like "Evil Dead II" and "Fight Club," then you'll probably enjoy "American Psycho." However, if you don't like movies that push the limits to the mainstream, then you'll probably want to skip this one. This one is not for the kiddies (they won't understand) and not for the politically minded with strong left or right tendencies (they won't understand). It takes a weird sense of humor.
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