Negative Positive
Title: As social satire, this one's a killer!
Review: Bret Easton Ellis' novel was a creepy, frightening portrait of self-aware yet detached evil. The movie version of "American Psycho", on the other hand, is a cleverly drawn social satire, choosing black comedy over graphic violence to make its point. The movie is closer in spirit to the similar Jules Feiffer-scripted 1971 classic "Little Murders" than say, "Friday the 13th, Part VII". The core subject matter is so dark and despairing that the occasional laugh-out-loud scenes are quite welcome when they occur.Christian Bale does an admirable job portraying Charles Manson as a Yuppie. Those who think Bale is too "pretty" and smart to play a serial killer should remember that Ted Bundy was considered an attractive,charming and intelligent person in casual social situations! Obviously not for all tastes, but a winner for those who enjoy a twist on the norm.
Is the review positive or negative? 