American Psycho

From the opening scenes, the director Mary Harron presents the world of this New York yuppie from the 80's. A pretentious man who likes attending expensive restaurants to be seen in and that he can show off, with the obsession of his appearance that makes everyone surrounding Bateman look identical to each other.

Our character is indeed a perfect metrosexual who does not have much to worry about because, well, he is heir to a big fortune.

But Bateman does care and has plenty of time to do so; do we ever see him work in his plush office? Despite his efforts to fit in, as he himself says, with his impeccable brand suits, his expensive glasses and his games in restaurants and bars, Bateman is on the verge of losing his mind.

He envies the other, he wishes what he has not, aspires to greater recognition and hates the hypocrisy that surrounds him. The states of tranquility, while making his 1000 usual abs excercises, (did anyone say neurosis?), in his white apartment, contrasts with his sudden attacks of anger that become more and more frequent.

Not even his show off girlfriend, with whom he never speaks, and his lover, best friend of his girlfriend, and his dysfunctional circle of friends give him any comfort. Then our young promising guy will start to murder.

Soon the blood will be enough because the blood seems to give him a bit of peace and, why not, a chance to scream all that has him so disturbed. Did not even know the name of that guy that he works with? Isn't him, compared to anyone else, a worm that cannot even get a reservation at the trendy restaurant? To hell with everyone ... they deserve to die.

And it will be one of his colleagues who will be the next in his list of victims. Thereafter there is no way to stop: 20, 30, 40 dead people? Perhaps is anyone is? Does it matter?

Enough to say that the day you decide to watch "American Psycho" you should be prepared for a good amount of blood. The violent scenes are quite explicit, never losing, though, the sanitized and impersonal environment that has been proposed by the main character.

Christian Bale takes from somewhere this dark force needed to perform with such credibility this multifaceted and tormented character. What state does not pass through this face? From certain tenderness to the most intense anger and indifference, all these emotions are skillfully recreated by this actor who proved, from this film, he had no problems showing a complex major psychology.

As the film progresses we see how all these deaths and blood are not enough for Bateman, who slowly begin to hope for a punishment, a moral reproach, something that tells him there is still some humanity, the one he has lost somewhere.

It seems that his efforts will be futile. Indeed, the more disturbing, painful and scary thing we realize (especially in the final sequences) is that,  if we think about it for a moment, the crazy, abnormal Bateman seems the only sane one in thedehumanized cold and absurd society that surrounds him.

Director: Mary Harron

Writers: Bret Easton Ellis (novel), Mary Harron (screenplay)

Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux and Josh Lucas