American Psycho
A film review by Marty Mapes
Copyright 2000 Marty Mapes
***1/2 (out of 4) Greed, superficiality, and selfishness. These are the
traits we associate with the 1980s. Whether or not that's a fair
assessment, that's how the ‘80s are portrayed in AMERICAN PSYCHO.
This is not a horror film. It doesn't aim to frighten or gross out its
audiences. Instead, AMERICAN PSYCHO is a social satire, a character
study, and a dark comedy.
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is the quintessential yuppie. He's
rich, good-looking, has great taste. He's also shallow, and proud of it.
At one point he even says that there is no inside, that only the outside
matters.
Bateman is vain. Take his morning grooming routine: first he uses the
cold pack in case his eyes are puffy; then he does his stomach crunches
-- he can do a thousand; then he takes a shower, making sure to use the
half-dozen different cleansers and moisturizers; and finally, he applies
a cleansing facial mask that he puts on and peels off every morning.
Status is also important to him. After work, he hangs out with the other
vice presidents, posturing and playing social chess. For example,
deciding where to have dinner involves a competitive ritual where the
object is to suggest the most expensive and prestigious place you can,
while still being able to get reservations. If your suggestion is too
cheap or if you can't get reservations, you lose face among the other
alpha males. When this competitive group decides to compare business
cards, you can almost smell the testosterone.
Bateman can play social chess, but he's not the best at it, and it
leaves him nervous and insecure. He discovers that he can parlay that
insecurity into power by taking a human life. After just one murder,
he's addicted.
Bale portrays Bateman very well. He captures both the dashing confidence
of Bateman's outer self and the nervous insecurity of the inner man. The
wheels of Bateman's mind always seem to be turning, whether he's
checking himself in the mirror or feeling stress about being found out.
The production design is also very good. Gideon Ponte recreates the look
and feel of the 1980s throughout the movie. Food, clothes, furnishings,
even early-model cell phones, all have the aura of excess and indulgence
about them that is called for in this movie.
What's best about the movie is the density of its satire. Its wry social
commentary permeates every aspect of the filmmaking. Its condemnation of
the 80s is well thought out and thematically coherent.
The subject matter may seem unpleasant, but it's hard not to be
interested in Bateman's character and the world he lives in.
--
___________
Marty Mapes
mmapes@moviehabit.com
Movie Habit
http://www.moviehabit.com
"I'm running a sex orgy, for a couple of freaks, on government funds!"
-- [the cop], The Thomas Crown Affair(1968)
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