American Psycho (2000)

[6]

Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun) plays a homicidal Wall Street playboy in this Bret Easton Ellis adaptation directed by Mary Harron. By day, Bale’s character, Patrick Bateman, engages in banal chit-chat with other yuppies. They compare dicks — I mean, business cards — and brag about elusive dinner reservations. But by night, Bateman one-ups them all in the contest to determine who’s the most depraved. He murders competitors, sexual conquests, and people who just happen to get in his way. Even dogs and kittens fall prey to his bloodlust.

I’ve seen American Psycho a handful of times now, and while I find it amusing, it never satisfies as much as I’d like. It’s a concept piece more than a character study. Ellis and Harron depict a world so cold and antiseptic — yet not so far removed from reality — that it’s not hard to imagine it churning out monsters like Bateman. Or his equally soulless compatriots, or his vapid girlfriend (Reese Witherspoon). This judgment on ‘nature vs nurture’ is the big conceit of the story. And it’s an interesting one — I mean, can you even call it satire when it hits so close to home? I just wish there was more to the story and the character than this.

The movie almost gets deeper and more interesting when one of Patrick’s would-be victims mistakes a thwarted murder attempt for a gay sexual advance. For a minute, I thought maybe we’d start exploring what really makes Patrick Bateman tick. Has the world beaten his true nature into repression to the point of a schizophrenic break? Or something? Or anything? Unfortunately, we don’t go there. Instead, Bateman narrates the piece, constantly telling us he’s simply an empty vessel, devoid of compassion. The film threatens to expand on that note, too, through Bateman’s narration insisting on multiple occasions that there’s really nothing to understand about him. He’s just an empty vessel without emotions. To a degree, that sentiment turns into self-fulfilling prophecy for the movie.

While I feel there are some missed opportunities, there’s still a lot to appreciate. Christian Bale is icy-cool in the role, carrying out scenes of violence with devilishly infecting glee and a dash of acrobatic grace. (Am I the only one who thinks he’s channeling Brent Spiner?) Andrzej Sekula’s controlled framing combined with the film’s austere art direction further anchors us in Patrick Bateman’s obsessive frame of mind. Dark comedy works throughout the movie, with a soundtrack full of pop ’80s tunes working counterpoint to the mayhem. Chloë Sevigny and Samantha Mathis make the most out of their supporting roles. With Willem Dafoe and Jared Leto.