American Psycho

[Solidus]

Man has it been 10 years already? Great film, I remember when I watched it at a friends house when it first came out on video. Good times.

Though I disagree with many's downplaying of Bale's talent. I agree that he sucked in TS. But I think he was superb in American Psycho as much as BB, TDK, and The Prestige. The reason in TDK that I think many see it as "less" is no actor could have out staged Heath as the Joker. It had too much presence, and it was hard not to focus on him over Bale. Even Daniel Day Lewis would not have been able to outshine what Heath did there. So I think he is given an unfair advantage.

But as anything that becomes popular some will not care for it.

Though I bought American Psycho a few months ago on Blu looks like I may have to pop it in today. But congrats to the 10 year.

 

[Bim]

I cant believe it's been 10 years already!

By far, this is Bale's best performance to date in my opinion. He nailed the cold hearted psychotic business man perfectly. Call me crazy, but i find myself laughing a lot when i watch this movie. It's just so bizarre at times, i cant help but find it hilarious.

This movie totally tainted Huey Lewis and Phil Collins for me though , and of course who can forget the "I have to return some videotapes" catchphrase.

 

[Crook]

Agreed. And i think this is also what people don't realise when they come with comments like "Johnny Depp was far better then Bale " .

Actors tend to be happy with the lesser roles whereas movie stars often want the lead roles.People tend to expect actors constantly giving outmatch other actors in terms of performances , which of course , can't happen .

The whole point is that the lead is given the bulk to do whereas the supporting characters give supporting performances .

Well, not exactly. I'd say it depends much more on the script and the actor's screen presence. Look at these best supporting actor winners: Hannibal, Joker, Anton, Hans. All non-lead roles but inarguably THE faces of their respective movies. You don't have to be the lead to steal the spotlight.

 

[cryptic name]

I love this movie, one of my favorites, and indeed started my love affair with Bale.

From memory: "Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? Their early work was a bit too...New Wave for my taste, 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 consumate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. In '84, Huey released this, Fore, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed hit is "Hip to be Square" a song so catchy, most people don't even bother to listen to the lyrics, but they should, because it isn't just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself...HEY PAUL!!"

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Try and get a reservation at Dorsia now you ****ing stupid bastard!!

 

[Mace Dolex]

Wow I remember one night just catching it on HBO and found myself liking it, I think moreso because it took place in the 80's and I was a bit jealous at Bale's physique.

 

[Figs]

Well, not exactly. I'd say it depends much more on the script and the actor's screen presence. Look at these best supporting actor winners: Hannibal, Joker, Anton, Hans. All non-lead roles but inarguably THE faces of their respective movies. You don't have to be the lead to steal the spotlight.

Very true. Not to mention, Anthony Hopkins won the award for playing Hannibal and his screen time was said to be the shortest screen time ever for an Oscar winner.

Try and get a reservation at Dorsia now you ****ing stupid bastard!!

Awesomeness!

That little shifty dance he does before that always cracks me up.

As for the talk about Bale not being that great anymore. Personally I think he should stick to semi small roles. I think he can make a pretty good leading man but he should avoid big blockbuster type films like TS...unless they're actually written well.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

One of the things i loved most about this movie, well actually probably the thing i loved most about it was the ambiguous ending.

I might have misinterpreted but it made me question, did he actually kill all those people or was it his imagination.

You know when he admits it all on the phone then the next day he speaks to the guy and he's like "WTF are you talking about Patrick?"

 

[Bad Superman]

Watching this film has been in my "To Do" list for a while. Gonna rent it tonight.

 

[Figs]

One of the things i loved most about this movie, well actually probably the thing i loved most about it was the ambiguous ending.

I might have misinterpreted but it made me question, did he actually kill all those people or was it his imagination.

You know when he admits it all on the phone then the next day he speaks to the guy and he's like "WTF are you talking about Patrick?"

I always figured it was all in his head. He was a man trying to fit in and be up to speed on all the popular ****, in the 80's no less. I think the stress and pressure of all that kind of made him lose his mind a bit and especially his individually and who he really was. Kind of like in the beginning when he's taking off that layer of the cream he put on his face.

"There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there."

"You hate that job anyway. I don't see why you just don't quit."

"Because I want to fit in."


Here's a quote I really like in the film as well, always makes me laugh.

"I'm on the verge of tears by the time we arrive at Espace, since I'm positive we won't have a decent table. But we do, and relief washes over me in an awesome wave."

Watching this film has been in my "To Do" list for a while. Gonna rent it tonight.

Hope you like it. In my opinion it's a damn good black/dark comedy.

 

[LegendaryCaleb]

This and Machinist are Bales best films IMO
This movie is very good for what it was

 

[redfirebird2008]

Hilarious movie and great performance.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Awesome movie. Probably Bale's best role.

God, I need to watch it again too. The ending was kind of a big WTF the first time and how it was put together. I mean when you first see it you wonder what you just saw. But I think it was all in his head.

 

[Catman]

No love for Newsies?!?

No.

Watching this film has been in my "To Do" list for a while. Gonna rent it tonight.

Better late than never.

I always figured it was all in his head.

Which is why the ending sucked. Had he actually been a serial killer it would have made a bigger statement.

 

[cryptic name]

I've never looked at the ending that way. Imo, the lawyer who

Spoiler

thinks Bateman is Davis and had lunch with Paul Allen in London didn't actually see Paul Allen, just someone he thought was Paul Allen

the movie is all about how everyone is interchangeable because they're all the same, Bateman tries to get caught to relieve himself of all the pressure he's under, but even his confession can't save him because of the nature of the world he lives in.

Basically, I think he did kill most of the people the movie depicts, maybe not in the exact way that's shown, but he killed them.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

I thought it being his imagination was a completely unexpected twist. I liked it.

But it is ambiguous. I think it is left for the viewer to decide.

 

[ross2287]

I've never looked at the ending that way. Imo, the lawyer who

Spoiler

thinks Bateman is Davis and had lunch with Paul Allen in London didn't actually see Paul Allen, just someone he thought was Paul Allen

the movie is all about how everyone is interchangeable because they're all the same, Bateman tries to get caught to relieve himself of all the pressure he's under, but even his confession can't save him because of the nature of the world he lives in.

Basically, I think he did kill most of the people the movie depicts, maybe not in the exact way that's shown, but he killed them.

That's how I interpret it too. How many times in the movie are people mistaken for other people? It's this whole theme of everyone is a cookie cutter copy of each other that makes the ending so poignant.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Hmm, interesting... all this talk makes me want to revisit it. Although it's a bit hard watching this movie and constanlty looking over my shoulder for the fear of my parents coming in at the worst and akward time possible.

 

[Solidus]

The ending is ambiguous for more than just one reason.

I always first noticed the lady that was selling the apartment where Bateman kept the bodies, looked at him funny, as if she knew him, and was pissed at him for her having to clean the bodies up.

And to me its both endings because both have thematic meanings. And the one of him actually doing it shows the typical 80's American business model as well as today's that goes: "Kill anyone in our way, profits first people second." The woman that was selling the apartment knew if she told anyone that some one was killed in there the value would go down. So she covered it up because she was greedy she cared more about the profit than Patrick actually murdering people. And the same with his co-workers, Pat made money, they did not care for his personal life at all. It is superficial and all about money, not people.

Yet on the other ending, it goes into how superficial we are that we are empty, that we are all alike, and that we don't look for anything deeper than that sometimes. With just money we become clones of one another. Bateman was so trapped in this world he creating an imagination of pretending that he was different. (cue the Business card scene) they were not different. So Bateman tried to be something else in his mind, he was going crazy for how superficial we are.

So to me, both endings do work, and both have wonderful thematically elements and satire in them.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

See that woman selling the apartment, i thought she was looking at him funny because he was racing around trying to find the bodies that weren't there... and perhaps were never there.

 

[Solidus]

I agree.

But at the same time she did look pissed, and some can say that she hid the bodies. Because if a murder was in a home, prices go down. She cared more about the profit than what he actually did.

Both endings have strong factors for them.

I may be wrong, but didn't the book end with him actually have done the crimes?

 

[Brother Jack]

The film is awesome and Bateman is probably Bale's best performance to date. It hasn't been all down-hill however, he's done great work since then. In fact the only real misstep I think he took was Terminator. That was a bad move from the get-go, the rant and one-note performance are evidence of that. But I think he's learned from it, and is now doing better roles. I'm very much looking forward to The Fighter.

 

[Commodore Schmidlapp]

Hmm, interesting... all this talk makes me want to revisit it. Although it's a bit hard watching this movie and constanlty looking over my shoulder for the fear of my parents coming in at the worst and akward time possible.

This made me laugh lol I was always under the impression it was in his head. This is one of my all time favorite comedies

 

[Tron Bonne]

I actually never even thought of the ending, to either the book or the movie, as ambiguous to be honest. I thought it was clear it was all in his head considering how crazy he was, the fact that the bodies were gone, and the thing with his lawyer. I think the book that ending made even more sense sense he did several things (like murdering a dog and a bum) in the wide open.

I guess it could work the other way, though. It makes some sense. Though, I don't know, seems like you kind of have to stretch more, but it could work

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]