Norman Bates Would be Proud

American Psycho

Day 35

Film 27

Directed by: Mary Harron

Screenplay By: Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner

Starring: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe and Reese Witherspoon

American Psycho was a very hit and miss film for me. Harron tried to stuff the film with so many different ideas it loses a lot of its punch. It goes from a satiric look at the 80's power businessmen into a broad and unfocused critique of the 80's itself.

The film is best when it is analyzing Bateman (Bale) who is everything from a suave businessman to a monster who replaces his face every morning. Bale plays the character spectacularly, dancing on the line of millionaire playboy and homicidal maniac. The scenes where we get inside his head or watch him mutilate a business partner or prostitute are spectacular. They form a couple high points in the film that the rest of the scenes have a hard time reaching.

Harron tries to fill the time by mocking 80's film making. With a loud 80's pop soundtrack that is more annoying than amusing and a climactic fantasy that would fit better in Lethal Weapon it is hard to shake the feeling that these ploys would be better suited in the mid 90's and not at the beginning of the 00's and now just as the newest decade begins I wonder if this film is just a little too dated for its own good. I found this type of film making, be it lost in the 80's by design or by accident by Harron, really just annoyed me and fueled the ups and downs enough to leave a bitter taste in my mouth by the end.

American Psycho is a respectable film, with a few spectacular scenes that are worth watching even if they are caked in mediocrity.