Probably the best horror flick to come out of 2000 (well, as of this reviewing anyway), this cruel little movie is based on the controversial and vile novel of the same name, written by the bizarre Bret Easton Ellis! First off, like the book, the movie has come under fire by women's rights activists about it being to centered around violence toward babes. I would like to note, however, that the film's director, Mary Harron, IS a woman herself, as are the other two women who adapted the screenplay from the book, so shut your damn mouths and get back on your knees!... Uhm, just kidding girls, you can put down the scissors... Well, for those of you unfamiliar with the book or the film, let me give you a quick, two sentence summary: The film revolves around Patrick Bateman, a young, high class, well-to-do Harvard graduate elitist of the '80s. He basically gets fed up with the bullshit and incompetence of the world, his mask of sanity slips, and he may or may not go on a killing streak, murdering many people in violent and painful ways. Now, to get into more detail, Patrick is a fancy yuppy, just as faceless and disposable as his fellow Wall Street VPs. But, he's got the good life, as he gets paid to sit in his office all day and listen to CDs while failing at making dinner reservations, so he's really got no place to complain. However, like all power hungry men of his type, he wants more. That's where his masochistic side takes over! Mr. Bateman gets fed up with the dregs of society, so he takes it upon himself to stab the occasional homeless guy to death or kill a few prostitutes (after he's planted em and gotten philosophical about the music of the 80's first, of course). Pat also takes out his growing insanity on his fellow yuppies, as he wastes one of his competitors via an axe murder, complete with soundtrack by Huey Lewis! For those of you against killing your fellow man, wait till you've seen homicide done to the tune of "Hip To Be Square"! And Pat's only remorse after doing the evil deed? The guy's apartment overlooked the park, and cost more than his... Eventually, Bateman's mask of sanity (no, not that D-t-V sequel to HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER) slips completely, and the guy goes on a rampage spanning several city blocks, as a late night spree results in the deaths of a night watchman, janitor, old woman, and a few cops! Afterwards, he HAS to tell someone about the whole thing, so he calls up his lawyer's answering machine and leaves a complete confession! The next day he sees said lawyer, who thinks that it's all a joke (because Bateman's supposedly too much of a wimp to pull all the shit he confessed to) and blows it off, leaving Pat to contemplate just how useless everything was. Then again, maybe he really DIDN'T kill anyone to begin with... actually, I'm not so sure he's even Patrick Bateman! Yes, the ending is quite confusing. Maybe after I read the book I'll understand. This movie had some hilarious moments though! Including: Pat does his exercise routine to TCM; Pat watches excessive porn; Pat watches two chicks fool around with each other as he contemplates the true sincerity of Whitney Houston... then he fucks them both hardcore and videotapes it; Pat slips two chicks some extacy, then watches them fool around as he waxes intellectual on the good sides of Phil Collins... then he fucks them both hardcore... then he kills them; a very surreal scene in which Bateman, wearing nothing more than a pair of sneakers and an odd grin, chases a hooker through a dimly lit, white hallway, before dropping the chainsaw on her from the top of a four story flight of stairs; Pat and steroid crazed pal try to snort coke in a men's room, while yelling at some punk in the next stall; Pat and friends have a very tense comparison of each other's business cards (one of the best scenes!); and Pat has a homo erotic mix-up in the bathroom as he tries to strangle his mistress's queer fiance. So well done in my mind, the movie did what it set out to do: make a parody of yuppy life, and do so with a very violent and disturbing twist! Plus, the movie captures Ellis's oddly intriguing "stream of thought narrative" writing style rather well and Christian Bale makes the perfect homicidal elitist! Need more proof? Check out his asshole character in SHAFT (the Samuel L. Jackson version)! In conclusion, I have some homework for everyone: feed stray cats to ATM machines and shoot old women who try to stand in your way... Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some videotapes to return.

DVD X-tras: Despite it's weak box office, AMERICAN PSYCHO gets a respectable DVD treatment, complete with a Christine Bale interview (where he really lets his British side out); a featurette that's less a "behind the scenes" and more of an explanation of the film itself; a few more prouction notes that further explain the film; extensive cast & crew bios; theatrical trailer; and, uhm, some "recommendations", likely to sell some other movies Lions Gate owns the rights to and needs to sell their old copies of. Nothing to kill for, but you might consider maiming your neighbor's dog for it....

Sequels: Not yet...

If You Liked This Flick, Check Out: HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER or SILENCE OF THE LAMBS