The argument was that "American Psycho" was not really a look at a serial killer but rather a satirical expose on yuppie executives circa the mid-1980s. However, as far as I am concerned this 2000 film fails on both scores. There is a lot of blood but neither a sense of horror nor suspense, which is usually what you want to find in a thriller. As for the social satire, the problem is that the character of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) and the rest of his wall street execu-yuppies are all so fake, more reminiscent of a comedy sketch on "Mad TV" than anything else, and I would think the point would be to capture more of the real essence of such a life (e.g., "Glengarry Glen Ross" or "The Boiler Room").

 The film was directed by Mary Harron ("I Shot Andy Warhol"), who also did the screenplay, which probably explains why the Bret Easton Ellis novel has been toned down for the silver screen. The point being made, as near as I can tell, is that Patrick Bateman kills people, not because he is so very different from everyone else around him, but essentially because he is just like the rest of his cohorts, only more so. Some of the murders appear to be random and others the result of jealousy, but sometimes the best answer is that the death speaks to Bateman's vanity. The whole opening of "American Psycho" is an introduction to his narcissism, which means it provides the prime motivation for not only his murderous outbursts but also everything else in his life.

 Because everything fits the pattern I have to work from the premise that the film is what the director intended, but it just does not achieve the desired result. My prediction is that if you bother to watch this film, then at some point you are going to burst out laughing and dollars to donuts it will be for some unintentional reason. Furthermore, as you watch the film you will find yourself thinking of a whole lot of films that suddenly look a lot better when compared to "American Psycho" ("I Spit on Your Grave" and "Showgirls" were just the first two that came to mind). I am willing to grant that Harron was trying to do something to redeem the original novel, but this film just fails across the board, whether we are talking the sex and the violence or the psychological insights and social satire.
The argument was that "American Psycho" was not really a look at a serial killer but rather a satirical expose on yuppie executives circa the mid-1980s. However, as far as I am concerned this 2000 film fails on both scores. There is a lot of blood but neither a sense of horror nor suspense, which is usually what you want to find in a thriller. As for the social satire, the problem is that the character of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) and the rest of his wall street execu-yuppies are all so fake, more reminiscent of a comedy sketch on "Mad TV" than anything else, and I would think the point would be to capture more of the real essence of such a life (e. g., "Glengarry Glen Ross" or "The Boiler Room"). The film was directed by Mary Harron ("I Shot Andy Warhol"), who also did the screenplay, which probably explains why the Bret Easton Ellis novel has been toned down for the silver screen. The point being made, as near as I can tell, is that Patrick Bateman kills people, not because he is so very different from everyone else around him, but essentially because he is just like the rest of his cohorts, only more so. Some of the murders appear to be random and others the result of jealousy, but sometimes the best answer is that the death speaks to Bateman's vanity. The whole opening of "American Psycho" is an introduction to his narcissism, which means it provides the prime motivation for not only his murderous outbursts but also everything else in his life. Because everything fits the pattern I have to work from the premise that the film is what the director intended, but it just does not achieve the desired result. My prediction is that if you bother to watch this film, then at some point you are going to burst out laughing and dollars to donuts it will be for some unintentional reason. Furthermore, as you watch the film you will find yourself thinking of a whole lot of films that suddenly look a lot better when compared to "American Psycho" ("I Spit on Your Grave" and "Showgirls" were just the first two that came to mind). I am willing to grant that Harron was trying to do something to redeem the original novel, but this film just fails across the board, whether we are talking the sex and the violence or the psychological insights and social satire.