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Product Description
Bret Easton Ellis' disturbing novel is brought to the screen by Mary Harron. In 1987, twentysomething Wall Street broker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) seems to have it all: he is handsome, successful and engaged to the beautiful Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon). However, Patrick is also engaged in an affair with Courtney Rawlinson (Samantha Mathis) - his colleague's fiancée - and at night indulges in a confused orgy of drugs, pornography, prostitution and murder fantasies. When Patrick is outshone by a rival at a board meeting, he takes out his frustration by knifing a man sleeping rough in the street. This sparks off a descent into violence and madness, with Patrick embarking on a bloody and random killing spree.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By M. Appleton
Format:VHS Tape
An adaptaion of a novel of the same name, American Psycho stars an excellent Christian Bale as the strutting, Narcissistic corporate high-flyer Patrick Bateman (a nod to Norman Bates?), in a mind-numbingly artficial and greed-obsessed mid '80's. His colleagues and acquaintances (and, indeed, Patrick himself, as he admits in the beginning) are completely hollow, devoid of any emotion and concerned only with prestige enhancing finery like business cards and restaurant reservations.
Patrick is different, however, in that he occasionally breaks free of this drudgery by committing deranged and brutal murders (in an almost whimsical fashion). The balance between Patrick's smooth facade and his psychopathic cravings begins to collapse, and this is where we join the movie.
Bale's performance is outstanding. He shows all the characteristics of a serial killer (obsessive neatness, ridiculous over-articulation and a pedantic hyperanalysis of everything from business cards to Phil Collins albums) but in an incredibly subtle and underplayed way, as befits someone who is trying to keep this in check. Interestingly, the one person he can't bring himself to kill might well be the only genuine human being in the film: his secretary (Chloe Sevigny).
As with many films made in the early noughties, there is a twist towards the end which only reinforces Patrick's overwhelming normalness and is completely believable having listened to his opening speech.
A very intelligent and stylish film.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I love everything about this film - the 80s style, the music, the script, the delivery, the dark humour, the casting. I just can't fault it! A true masterpiece. Regularly find myself quoting it. Just watch it!
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By Oz
Format:DVD
This movie was rather misinterpreted by the adverts for it when it was released; it is technically a horror film but in truth, it is much more comical than the creepy adverts made out. The story follows successful, nigh-on-perfect Patrick Bateman, a handsome business man who by day lives a tedious life in constant competition with his colleagues over ridiculous things such as who has the best business card and who can get the best reservations. Yet behind this montonous but normal life, Patrick is losing his mind and spends his nights succumbing to an ever-growing bloodlust and paranoia. Christian Bale couldn't have been a more perfect choice for this role; he delivers every line brilliantly. The supporting cast is also spectacular; Jared Leto plays an arrogant, ultimately doomed colleague, Chloe Sevigny is Bateman's shy secretary and the one person who seems to 'get' him. Reese Witherspoon makes brief but brilliant appearances as his fiance. Bateman's murder sprees are much more amusing than they are disturbing (watch out for him running around naked wielding a chainsaw) and provide a few good laughs, as does his obsession with looking good. Any movie that can have the killer taking time to exfoliate and make it work is a winner in my book! The story is highly original; I won't deny that I was completely lost in the last 5 minutes of the film but it's so entertaining I didn't even mind. This is a top quality film made even better by superb acting and directing. Buy it.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Christian Bale excels
Captivating, powerful, uncomfortable, compelling, provocative, compassionate.
A powerful film, a powerful performance. Read more
A powerful film, a powerful performance. Read more
Published 21 days ago by HayWayne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific
Its a funny movie with an awesome twist at the end, his lawyer is so good that he makes himself doubt whether he did all those terrible things or whether it was all in his head. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Karl Consiglio
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome classic!
For such an awesome film it is surprising that I couldn't find it in the high street stores! Thank you Amazon for delivering it in double quick time. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Cummins
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing film
I was finding it hard to track down a hard copy of American Psycho so I was pleased to find this. Arrived quickly and in good condition, as described. Very pleased :)
Published 2 months ago by Miss R
3.0 out of 5 stars
Overrated
To cut a long story short, I was disappointed with the film after reading the book. I deliberately read the book first, which was brilliant. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Amber Berry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy with purchase
the reason I chose this product is becuase I like blu-ray movies and it works great on the playstaion or blu-ray player
Published 2 months ago by Angelos
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't go wrong
Christian Bale's character 'Patrick Bateman' is a typical 80's wall street style yuppie and so are all his friends, with all the same sort of life style that your typical 80's... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Christian Burgess
3.0 out of 5 stars
I feel it lost its way. (POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
I very much enjoyed the film for the first hour or so. Bale's character was interesting, causing you to feel distanced and enthralled at the same time. Read more
Published 2 months ago by SDSKamikaze
3.0 out of 5 stars
American Psycho
Two words describe this film, and they are provided by amazon in this review. "It's Okay". There are good parts, but the whole movie is a puzzle as you sit there puzzled,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by StephenTillsley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good! Really good!
This movie is really, really good! Okay, it's not a masterpiece, but it's still really good and enjoyable. Read more
Published 3 months ago by M. Emilia Nogueras Corral
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