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Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis ... see more see more... , Chloë Sevigny , Justin Theroux , Josh Lucas , Guinevere Turner , Matt Ross , Bill Sage , Cara Seymour , Somaya Reece

Bret Easton Ellis's dark and violent satire of America in the 1980s is brought to the screen in this unsettling drama with blackly comic overtones. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), the son of a wealt... read more read more...hy Wall Street financier, is pursuing his own lucrative career with his father's firm. Bateman is the prototypical yuppie, obsessed with success, fashion, and style. He is also a serial killer who murders, rapes, and mutilates both strangers and acquaintances without provocation or reason. Donald Kimble (Willem Dafoe), a police detective, questions Bateman about the disappearance of Paul Allen (Jared Leto), whom Patrick murdered several days earlier. As Kimble stays on Bateman's trail, Bateman's mask of studied, distant cool begins to fall apart. American Psycho also features Reese Witherspoon as Bateman's girlfriend, as well as Samantha Mathis, Chloe Sevigny, and Guinevere Turner; the latter also co-authored the screenplay. Controversy followed the production from the start, when speculation that Leonardo Di Caprio would play Bateman sparked concerns that he would lure preteens to an R-rated movie. Di Caprio soon bowed out of the project, and original leading man Bale was reinstated. Later, a group of Toronto residents attempted to block filming in that city after Canadian serial killer Paul Bernardo claimed that Ellis's novel inspired his murder spree. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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83% liked it

262,961 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

141 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Mary Harron

Release Date: April 14, 2000

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DVD Release Date: September 5, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (21,794)

  • jmanard52
    August 9, 2009
    jmanard52
    I rewatched this for the first time in a long time . . . and I have to say WOW. Christian Bale is just crazy good in this film.
  • Callahan441
    May 18, 2012
    Callahan441
    Christian Bale delivers a superbly realised interpretation of Patrick Bateman; his performance has already become iconic. The nuances of Bateman's voice, which has an air of arrogance and comical sincerity, are identified by Bale and expertly delivered. The truly original narrato... read morer, endlessly quotable script and brilliantly dark, idiosyncratic humour have created a large cult following; it's the proverbial cult film.

    The film follows Patrick Bateman, a handsome Wall Street executive in the prime of his life who is surrounded by equally affluent and aesthetic contemporaries. He is achingly vapid and appears to not have a sincere relationship with anyone, not even his 'supposed fiancée' Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon). In Bateman's world, everything is for surface value, even his job, which he continues with because he 'wants to fit in'.

    The film is adapted from Bret Easton Ellis' 1991 controversial novel of the same name. As anyone who has read 'American Psycho' will testify, there are passages that are simply unfilmable, the film was always going to be toned down in comparison. However, I feel the film has been neutered somewhat, I feel the film is lacking a visceral edge, it nails the satire, but it isn't quite dark enough. As the novel progresses, Patrick Bateman becomes increasingly psychotic and depraved, he descends into the depths of madness, and this isn't quite captured in the film. As sordid as it sounds, I do believe the film should have been crueller, darker; it should have put more emphasis on the depersonalisation and sadism of Bateman. Not to the point where it becomes gratuitous, however. But, then again, how do you define gratuitous? At what point does a film or book become gratuitous? These are questions that were at the forefront of my mind when reading the novel, and I think it's very hard to answer.

    Despite this, it is a good adaptation; Harron and Turner's script is sharp and overall makes good use of its difficult source material. For instance, the film incorporates the book's music chapters to great comic effect; Bateman expressing his admiration and laughably deep analysis of Genesis, Whitney Houston and Huey Lewis and The News to prospective victims. Through these scenes the viewer witnesses the lengths of Bateman's vapidity.

    It is a rather difficult film to wholly appreciate and absorb on initial viewing, which is good, because I feel 'American Psycho' has much replay value; I have revisited both the book and film countless times. Much like the novel, the film polarised audiences, and it doesn't surprise me. When viewing for the first time, one must appreciate Bret Easton Ellis used a large helping of hyperbole to convey his message of greed and superficiality, and also a good deal of surrealism. The way in which Bateman's associates repeatedly forget each other's names and identities and how Bateman's actions become questionably implausible may confuse or deter the viewer. However, depressingly, in our world of revolting socialites and vacuous celebrity and fashion culture, the extent of American Psycho's hyperbole is becoming increasingly dubious in places.

    'American Psycho' is a peculiar creation. Many people get it and love it; however I'm sure many would be perplexed by it, maybe completely disappointed by it. I am biased, but I know that I am one of many people who fully appreciate 'American Psycho', part of a large group who will know what you mean when you say 'I have to return some videotapes'. Some won't like or appreciate it, and that's no detriment of the viewer's, but if you do, then I think you'll find yourself revisiting the film and picking up a copy of Ellis' compulsively readable novel. However, regardless of whether you like it, I can guarantee that you'll never hear Phil Collins' 'Sussudio' in the same way afterwards.
  • fb223580
    May 13, 2012
    fb223580
    Disgustingly elitist, laugh-out-loud funny, and chilling.
  • CloudStrife84
    May 9, 2012
    CloudStrife84
    Hypnotically brilliant crime thriller, with a star-making performance by the amazing Christian Bale. His multi-layered interpretation of psychotic killer Patrick Bateman, leaves you stunned, mesmerized and in awe of his incredible talent. His facial expressions alone hold such fa... read morentastic subtlety, that you get a true sense of every thought behind his character's eyes.

    Adapted from a best-selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis, the writing in the film is just as exceptional. Dark and often bizarre, yet also with a strange humorous quality in all the madness that springs from Bateman's head. The great detail payed to his demeanour and compulsive obsessions - such as a strict set of routines where he indulges in extreme vanity - adds gravitas in abundance, while making him the most fascinating maniac since Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

    My only beef with the film is the inconclusive ending, which although suggesting heavily towards a certain plot twist, failed to satisfy me with any definitive answers. Apart from that, however, it's a great and absorbing watch. Worth seeing just for the bravura performance by a career-best Christian Bale.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    March 28, 2012
    TheDudeLebowski65
    American Psycho is truly a deranged, terrifying film. It's a film that examines the life of a serial killer. In this case, we are introduced to a yuppie named Patrick Bateman, a seemingly ordinary person who loves to murder women. Christian Bale brings Bateman to life effectively... read more well, and his portrayal is really terrifying and truly disturbing. Based on the controversial book of the same name, the book is said to have inspired Canadian Serial Killer Paul Bernardo in killing three women. An unforgiving look inside Bateman mind, American Psycho is really an in your face type of film as it does not shy away from showing you his perfect little yuppie life. No the film shows how Patrick Bateman really is, a monster and a maniac. A truly unique Horror film, American Psycho is a film that belongs on the very short list of terrifying serial killer films. Having read the book, There's a lot of material that was cut out from the book for this adaptation. As a reader of the book, I can say that Mary Harron kept the key ideas from Ellis's book and has made a very good adaptation of a controversial work. The film has some black comedy overtones which can really disturb the viewer. Christian Bale is perfect in the role, and he makes the role of Patrick \Bateman his own. I enjoyed the film, and I thought it was a fi8ne blend of psychological horror, drama and dark comedy. A must see if you want a terrific psychological horror film.
  • JonathanHutchings
    January 14, 2012
    JonathanHutchings
    For me, the old adage "you haven't seen a film unless you've seen it twice" couldn't be more applicable when it comes to American Psycho. Upon my first viewing years ago, I didn't think much of it; seeing it last night on the big screen was a dramatically different experience. As... read more a film critic said, this film is a smart, dark, funny, and boldly profound satire that cleverly equates materialism, narcissism, misogyny, and classism with homicide. It's one man's sobering realization of the shallow life he leads, and his desperate attempt to get out of it--which, thanks to a brilliantly staged ambiguous ending, we're not sure if he does (or is that even an option?). I found out that to this day, director Mary Harron isn't sure if she achieved her goal in making this film (undercutting all of your plot resolutions in the third act to give way to a message that transcends your story will do that to you). For me, she hit it out of the park. A stunning achievement. I love reading all of the different takes on American Psycho and seeing so many people completely miss the point of this film (hell, I was one of them). That's what the very best cinema can do.
  • fb1341085175
    October 27, 2011
    fb1341085175
    Who would have foretold back then that Christian Bale was the perfect choice for the role, as it has been proved by his recent tabloid scandals. He definetly gave birth to a new breed: the metrosexual killer.
  • shawnewing92
    September 9, 2011
    shawnewing92
    It's as terrifying as it is hysterical. Brilliant work by Christian Bale.
  • blkbomb
    July 8, 2011
    blkbomb
    Patrick Bateman: I'm on a diet.
    Jean: What, you're kidding, right? You look great... so fit... and thin.
    Patrick Bateman: Well, you can always be thinner... look better.
    Jean: Then maybe we shouldn't go out to dinner. I wouldn't want you to lose your willpower.
    Patrick Batema... read moren: That's okay. I'm not very good at controlling it anyway.

    American Psycho is an oddly funny and disturbing film. It's classified as a horror movie, but I'm not buying that. It's views on materialism and outer appearances is very obvious. The characters care about who has the best business cards, the best apartments, and who can get into the best restaurants. Bateman cares about how he looks. He details how he keeps his face looking smooth. He tans, wears the best clothes, and talks about how is haircut is slightly better than a man who looks very similar. Conformity and pop-culture are heavy influences on the characters. Bateman details pop-music in amazing detail and it's really humorous. Bateman also gets mistaken for different people throughout the movie because everyone dresses the same and have a slicked back haircut. They all look alike. Now, I'll switch gears and talk about the obvious highlight of American Psycho and that is Christian Bales performance. His performance as Patrick Bateman is funny, insightful, and disturbing all at the same time. He's powerful when he needs to be. Although, I love his Batman character; this is probably his best performance. The ending does leave the rest of the movie up to interpretation. If you haven't seen the movie, you probably shouldn't read the rest of this review. *Spoiler* My interpretation is that all of Batemans murders are just his fantasies and that he hasn't actually killed anyone. Some evidence of this is the night he supposedly killed Paul Allen, his friends said that he was with them. Another clue is that when he drops the chainsaw from the staircase and kills the woman; the scene switches to him drawing a dead woman on his table at a restaraunt. He lives his fantasies through his drawings and this is shown at the end when his secreatary sees all his drawings in his schedule book. Also, when he feels like he's not the best or fitting in; it immediately jumps to him executing an act of violence. When everyones showing off their business cards and Bateman sees that Allen's is better it jumps to him killing a homeless man. Although I'm not completely sold on my interpretation; it is what I'm leaning towards. Either way, the film is very effective and is worth the watch if not for Bales performance only.
  • murphmann93
    June 24, 2011
    murphmann93
    I had heard about this film quite a while and bought it on DVD. I sat down to watch it and I couldn't help but be throughly confused but amazed by the shocking darkness Christian Bale's character had. He played the role very well and there is no doubt that he's a brilliant actor.... read more It leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions but the gore and horror of the scene give it the stars for me. Really had you in shock.

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector
March 28, 2011
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader

The slick satire cleverly equates materialism, narcissism, misogyny, and classism with homicide, but you may laugh so loud at the protagonist that you won't be able to hear yourself laughing with him. Full Review

Desson Thomson
March 28, 2011
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

It's hard to summon up enthusiasm for a performance so rooted in bloody banality. I mean, as Patrick, Bale's most emotionally pressing dilemma is: Chainsaw or butcher knife? Full Review

David Edelstein
March 28, 2011
David Edelstein, Slate

American Psycho is nearly perfect for what it is, but before we go on, we should ask what that actually amounts to. Can something with so rigid a thesis be a real work of art? Full Review

Richard Corliss
March 28, 2011
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

It needs to be seen and appreciated, like a serpent in a glass cage. Full Review

Dennis Harvey
May 30, 2008
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Harron's Psycho reps an impressive reclaiming of dubious material. Full Review

David Ansen
March 31, 2008
David Ansen, Newsweek

Conceptually, this savage cartoon ends up as trapped in surfaces as its shallow antihero: it's all dressed up with nowhere to go. Full Review

Peter Rainer
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

Clearly, Harron is sold on the Bateman-as-metaphor bit, and, like Ellis, she overconceptualizes everything. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
June 18, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Funny-one-minute, horrifying-the-next film. Full Review

Rick Groen
March 19, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

A well-crafted yet essentially innocuous period piece. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 10, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

An uneven movie that nonetheless bristles with stinging wit and exerts a perverse fascination.

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Facts

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    • Paul Allen: Hey Halberstram.
    • Patrick Bateman: Yes, Allen?
    • Paul Allen: Why are their copies of the style section all over the place, d-do you have a dog? A little chow or something?
    • Patrick Bateman: No, Allen.
    • Paul Allen: Is that a raincoat?
    • Patrick Bateman: Yes it is! In '87, Huey released this, Fore, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself. [raises axe above head]
    • Paul Allen: Hey Paul! [he bashes Allen in the head with the axe, and blood splatters over him] TRY GETTING A RESERVATION AT DORSIA NOW YOU FUCKING STUPID BASTARD! YOU, FUCKING BASTARD!
    • Patrick Bateman: Do you like Huey Lewis and The News?
    • Paul Allen: They're okay.
    • Patrick Bateman: Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humor.
    • Evelyn Williams: Where are you going?
    • Patrick Bateman: I am just leaving.
    • Evelyn Williams: But where?
    • Patrick Bateman: I have to return some videotapes.
    • Patrick Bateman: I like to dissect girls. Did you know I'm utterly insane?
    • Patrick Bateman: You're a fucking ugly bitch. I want to stab you to death, and then play around with your blood.
    • Patrick Bateman: I'm into... Well murders and executions.
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American Psycho Trivia

  • On American Psycho, what weapon did Patrick drop down the stairwell, that killed the girl at the bottom?  Answer »
  • What was the brand of platinum Credit Card that Bateman, Van Patten, McDermott and Price all slapped down on the table at the beginning of American Psycho?  Answer »
  • First American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen.  Answer »
  • In which movie did Jared Leto die from an axe to the head?  Answer »
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