American Psycho

A probe into the mind of a member of a certain animal species from Wall Street who revels in expensive formal suits and designer goods, slaps on all sorts of menthol, moisturizing and peeling masks, regularly visits tanning salons, blathers about nothing in his circle of friends passing it off as serious deep musings. His measure of success is, among other things, the appearance of his business card, which he likes to compare with his equally afflicted friends, and to be free and cool, he goes to parties to snort coke. In fact, he is so bored with his emotional emptiness that he entertains himself in a quite "original" way, he kills. Those empty-minded suits sometimes make you so sick that the murders aren't even that disgusting in comparison. And to be honest, the murders are the least interesting thing about the whole movie. (07/14/2003)

I was wondering the whole time if Christian Bale's acting was merely overacting or basically a near-perfect performance. It's abundantly clear that a subject this interesting will stir up controversy at the mere mention of it and demand the attention of the wider public – just because of WHAT IT'S ABOUT. Personally, I was satisfied, I didn't even mind the "over-pointed" ending and as a result American Psycho impressed me as a worthy precursor to Dexter or Mr. Brooks. (07/16/2011)

// - I can’t believe that Bryce prefers Van Patten’s card to mine. // - But wait. You ain't seen nothin' yet. Raised lettering, pale nimbus. White. - Impressive. Very nice. Hmm, let’s see Paul Allen’s card. // Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh, my God. It even has a watermark. // (05/24/2011)

An intentionally controversial thriller. Do I mind? Not at all. Bale is fantastically convincing in the role of the psychotic financier Bat(e)man and so is the portrayal of that high society world. Of course, I’ve no idea how realistic it is, but I know that I don’t have even the slightest desire to live it first hand. (12/23/2009)

American Psycho is from a group of movies that can be rated from one to five stars. From a technical standpoint, it is a decently executed piece with good camerawork, editing, and especially strong acting. Most of the actors are giving their all, and it is almost a pity that these performances cannot be seen in a stronger film. Even in small roles, quality actors appear, such as Chloë Sevigny in the role of a secretary. However, the problem lies with the content, which is superficially impressive but internally empty and decadent. Typical scenes take place in high society environments, nightclubs, where glamorous beauties mingle with yuppie elites in elegant frames. All in all, it is a kitschy affair that fairly faithfully corresponds to the style of Ellis's literary source, but for me, it is quite indigestible. Overall impression: 40%. (06/16/2006)