American Psycho Review

Written by: Pat Bateman   

American Psycho (2000) This is the film they said could never be filmed, and here I sit holding the new special edition DVD.

 

American Psycho is the story of 27 year old Patrick Bateman, your typical Wall Street yuppie, living in the tail end of the 80’s. Patrick has everything a man could want, money, a nice apartment a stunning fiancé and a great group of friends.

 

There’s only one small problem….. Patrick is a psychopath, whom rapes, dismembers and sometimes eats his victims!

 

American Psycho is a film which defies logic. It comes from a novel so brutal and sickening that the thought of a celluloid version would have always been met with laughter. But lo and behold director Mary Harron has managed to bring the novel to the screen with amazing success.

 

Instead of being brutally realistic with the violence as the novel, Mary chooses to leave the violence to the viewer. This is a masterstroke, as making American Psycho a Straight splatter/slasher wouldn’t have worked.

 

So what we have is an interesting hybrid of social satire and horror film. From the mundane moments in Patrick’s life to his episodes of psychopathic brutality, actor Christian Bale pulls in a powerhouse performance. Never has an actor, in my opinion, played a written character so convincingly.

 

American psycho is an achievement of filmmaking for Mary Harron and actor Christian bale. If you haven’t seen this film I urge you to go and pick up the new special edition.

 

*****/ 5 STARS

 

DVD FEATURES:

 

This is the second DVD release of American Psycho, as the first was just a bare bones edition. The film itself is presented unrated.

 

IMAGE:

The film is presented in its 2:35:1 aspect ratio, with a brand new transfer for the disc. Colours are vibrant and there is no visible grain. Nice.

 

SOUND:

The disc has both 2.0 stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 EX.

 

COMMENTARIES:

There are 2 commentaries, the first from director Mary Harron, and the second From Co-Writer Guinevere Turner. Both commentaries are informative without being boring, with a lot of Turners commentary focusing on the difficulties of bringing the novel to the screen.

AMERICAN PSYCHO- FROM BOOK TO SCREEN:

A 3 part doco focusing on the book, the film and the aftermath after its release. All 3 docos are great but sadly lacking both Christian Bale and author Bret Easton Ellis’s input. Also included is the video essay by Holly Willis. The Pornography of Killing, which tackles porno in relation to American Psycho. Finally we have The 80’s Downtown, a look at the clubs in New York during the 80’s.

 

DELETED SCENES:

We have a handful of scenes deleted from the final cut which are actually very fun to watch, particularly a condom scene with Patrick and Courtney!

 

Disc:

***/ 5 STARS