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I think this has to be one of the greatest psychological thrillers out there. I wouldn't call this film a horror because it isn't scary. It is just a tense thrill ride with a lot of suspenseful moments where, when, who, how and what he kills people. Yes, Patrick Bateman is a very horrifying character indeed which is where I can't really describe what sort of character he is similar to let alone what type of character he actually is. This is revealed towards the end of the film (not saying what happens because I'm not a spoiler teller). Some would refer this as a horror film because it is a guy who treats killing people at night like a hobby and is like the present generation of film of Norman Bates. This is a film that a lot of people would be scared of because of the thrilling suspense that went on. I felt the suspense really hard but it didn't exactly terrify me. I could tell that this film was going to be a psychological thriller because you only have to notice the title of the film t o notice. Especially with the word "Psycho" in it. That shouldn't put you off it. It is definitely worth seeing.
Christian Bale delivers one of the most terrifying performances that I have ever laid my eyes on. I have always been used to seeing Christian as a man that is a hero or a manipulating villain but never a psycho. Bale has always been a heart-throb and probably always will be. That is one of the main reasons where I think he fits almost perfectly into Patrick Bateman's character. He is a guy who even prostitutes can fall for but can be fooled by aswell because sex is his intention with them but something more serious is his ambition aswell. He is two-faced!! He acts like those monsters on horror movies where you are nice on one part of the day but a complete cold-blooded killer on the evening. One thing that puzzled me a bit about the way Bateman was killing his victims was that his house was always white and very bright. I mean, how does he get away with it? That's the question and there are questions aswell about whether he killed those people or not at all. I think that Patrick Bateman is seriously one of the best and most powerful film villains of all time. He is a very destructive and impactful character who doesn't care who or how he kills as long as it is enjoyable for him which is what is so sick about his character.
I found the direction in American Psycho quite similar to the way Stanley Kubrick directed The Shining because of the eerie, very different and slow camera angles. In a slight way, it takes a lot of the direction from The Shining but in a good way. The script was really well adapted together because it wanted to focus on the character Patrick Bateman and wanted to show that he is really sick in the head and what he is capable of. Again, that is like The Shining. It was so gruesome and very psychotic because of how Bateman killed his victims. He killed two prostitutes with a chainsaw while he was naked and having sex with them. It shows that nobody can be trusted and nobody knows what is inside a person's true intentions are for someone. The reality of that was because it needed a bit of notification from the audience because it was obvious that he was going to kill someone but doesn't know how. Personally, I found that Patrick Bateman was in a fighting relationship with himself because it was like a split personality. He was really good at his work but then he was killing innocent people every night. One thing that confuses me is that he sometimes spares people but then kills someone else. It is just a bizarre film. I personally believe all of the kills are fantasies inside his head.
I have to say that this is one of the single most terrifying films of all time let alone one of the most terrifying characters and one of the best villains of all time too. I loved Christian Bale in this one! Prefer him in The Dark Knight, Batman Begins and The Prestige. I wouldn't call American Psycho a masterpiece but I would call it a film that does deserve to be watched and can thrill everybody in the same way.
7/10
