American Psycho(2000) is a classic psychological thriller film of all time. It is also the pioneer of American cinema about psychopath killers. The film was directed by Mary Harron and released in April 2000. It stars famous actors such as Christian Bale, Jared Leto and Willem Dafoe. > More Info about this movie.
The title American Psycho implies mental illness already. Details in the film also reveal that the story was originally an imaginary world in his mind, but this is unimportant. The author intends to reveal it’s a satire on a very corrosive society.
The thrilling plot of American Psycho will surely take the hearts out of the audiences. It is worth mentioning that the excellent cast and script make it a classic in the genre. If you’re a fan of crime thrillers, be sure to add it to your watch list.
Adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial novel, the film is a noir social satire of American urban life in the late 1980s. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a young investment banking executive on Wall Street, and he is a charming guy who makes millions of dollars for his clients every day. He lives an extremely disciplined life every day, is very critical of music, every morning to take care of skin and exercise, like a social elite.
But the horror of darkness awakens another side of Bateman at night in his luxury apartment. He tortures women he hunts and kills them slowly in pain, which makes him feel mysterious pleasure. But the police never considered him a suspect because of his position. As another bloodthirsty killer emerges, there is nowhere to hide.
One of the most fascinating things about American Psycho(2000) is its talented cast, Christian Bale, who even won the Best Actor award for his performance in the film. The producers originally planned to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as Patrick, James Woods as Donald, Cameron Diaz as Evelyn, and Oliver Stone as director. Producers had wanted Edward Norton to play Patrick, but he declined. Guinevia Turner, who plays Patrick’s friend Elizabeth, also wrote the screenplay. Kristen Bell improvised twice during the shoot, jumping rope like a schoolgirl and starting to dance when she was about to kill Paul.
Coming from a female director, American Psycho is still a powerful film with less violent scenes. It favors a psychological portrayal of the characters. Mary Harron, the cold and humorous female director, makes the film more like a black comedy as if only the cold between people is more attractive.
The first-time watcher may be attracted by Bale’s insane performance, but the second attraction is more focused on the core: Bateman’s wealthy life, which is depicted by the daily routine of his personal care and properties, his tastes of music before the murder or abusive sex, comparing the print and typeface of business cards with his fellow men, a kind of total consumerism lost and materialized human communication, Emotions, and desires are twisted in a money-worship environment, and the film ends with the crowd watching Reagan’s Iran-Contra speech in a club.
The movie is also reflecting the illness of the American Dream. In this materialistic society, everything is measured by money. People are lost in such vanity and meaningless madness. The money-worship world needs a way out all the time. Just like the bloody smell in men’s daily careful maintenance in American Psycho(2000) , it is an incurable tragedy.