American
Psycho may have been unfilmable, but that was
before Christian Bale and Mary Harron got a hold of it. It will, one
day, be considered a classic by many.
Written
by The Zombie Master Lee
Roberts November 8, 2007
Release: 2000 Directed by: Mary Harron Written by: Bret Easton Ellis (novel), Mary Harron
& Guinevere Turner (screenplay)
Starring:
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman Willem Defoe as Detective Donald Kimball
I love to read, and Bret Easton Ellis has written some rather
interesting novels over the past 20 years. Having already read American
Psycho I was intrigued about the possibility of it becoming a
major motion picture. How was this extremely graphic novel going to
transfer to film? Could Patrick Bateman be portrayed correctly? Could
Mary Harron do it justice? My worries were unfounded and I was treated
to an American classic.
American Psycho introduces us to Patrick Bateman
(Christian Bale). Bateman is an investment banker, vice-president for
the firm that he works for, lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan
and represents the epitome of the 80’s yuppie. He is wealthy,
shallow, self-centered and addicted to sex,
drugs, and “high end stuff”. He is obsessive
concerning the details of his physical health, his clothing, his stereo
equipment, and his business cards. Oh yeah, before I forget, he is also
a psychopathic serial killer.
Patrick Bateman kills one of his rivals, Paul Allen (portrayed by Jared
Leto), because Paul can get into higher class restaurants and has
better looking business cards. Patrick attempts to make it look as if
Paul has left town. We are now introduced to Detective Donald Kimball
(Willem Defoe). Det. Kimball is investigating the disappearance of Paul
Allen and is making Patrick real nervous. All of this nervousness leads
Patrick to further his killing spree in an effort to break the monotony
of his humdrum existence.
As the tale continues, we are given a glimpse into Patrick
Bateman’s mind as the line between reality and fantasy begins
to unravel. With an ending that brings this satirical look at the
decade of excess to full circle, the viewer begins to question the
reality of what he/she has just witnessed.
American Psycho is a great movie taken from a great
book that in some instances is inferior to the screenplay. Bret Easton
Ellis came onto the
literary scene with Less Than Zero and has had been
both praised and reviled by critics from that point on. When
Mary Harron decided to write and direct the film version of American
Psycho she became the target of criticism and controversy as
well. It is my opinion that Mary Harron, along with Guinevere Turner,
did an almost perfect job in translating the book to film regardless of
the industries assumption that the novel was
“unfilmable”.
All of the credit for this novel- to- film adaptation being a
success cannot fall on Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner however. Johnny
Depp, Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Leonardo DiCaprio were all,
formally or informally, attached to the role of Patrick Bateman. Once
you have seen Patrick Bateman on screen you will not be able to
visualize anyone other than Christian Bale in the role. For anyone who
has read the book, Christian Bale absolutely nailed the neurotic
characteristics of Patrick Bateman.
American
Psycho is a film that has been labeled as a classic by few
but will one day achieve that title by many. In fact, it has had a
place on my “classics shelf” for many years now. Questions
or comments about American Psycho? Contact us!
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shallow, self-centered and addicted to sex,
drugs, and “high end stuff”. He is obsessive
concerning the details of his physical health, his clothing, his stereo
equipment, and his business cards. Oh yeah, before I forget, he is also
a psychopathic serial killer. 
the
literary scene with Less Than Zero and has had been
both praised and reviled by critics from that point on. When
Mary Harron decided to write and direct the film version of American
Psycho she became the target of criticism and controversy as
well. It is my opinion that Mary Harron, along with Guinevere Turner,
did an almost perfect job in translating the book to film regardless of
the industries assumption that the novel was
“unfilmable”. 
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y!
MyWeb