When I think of Christian Bale's performances, two come to mind: Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Trilogy and Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy businessman in the 1980's that hides his alter ego from the people he knows during the day and enjoys his murderous tendencies at night.
Easily one of my favourite films of all time, American Psycho is a film I won't ever get tired of. To be clear, American Psycho isn't meant to be viewed as a serious thriller but rather a dark comedy. The film does such an excellent job introducing us to Bateman's persona as we really learn how narcissistic and superficial of a person he really is. It leaves great hints into the violent thoughts he has at the start and slowly descends into the chaos in a way that feels organic. Not only that, the film provides us with very clever commentary on the self-adulation of businessmen during the simplest of scenes such as a group of them discussing business cards. The direction, sound design and acting all combined tells us all about Bateman and his co-workers. Mary Harron directed this story with immense skill. She balances the violence with enough comedy that somehow makes it hilarious rather than disturbing and the script, filled with memorable sequences and quotable lines, attribute to that tone.
The creation of the 80's is also an aspect I admire. From the visual representation of New York City to the monologues on music from Huey Lewis and the News, Phil Collins and Whitney Houston, all of this meshes to create an accurate representation of that time period. When it comes to performances, Christian Bale steals the show. One of his best performances to date, Bale's portrayal of Patrick Bateman is brilliant on so many levels. With the tone he uses for certain lines to reveal the character's narcissism to the deep, dark and piercing effect he creates once he goes about violent tendencies, Bale's acting is top-notch. Willem Dafoe and Jared Leto are also great in their short roles.
American Psycho is a unique character study that works incredibly due to the synergy between Mary Harron's direction, the script and Christian Bale's powerhouse of a performance. It's a beautifully constructed piece of work that will remain as one of my favourite films of all time.
American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy businessman in the 1980's that hides his alter ego from the people he knows during the day and enjoys his murderous tendencies at night.
Easily one of my favourite films of all time, American Psycho is a film I won't ever get tired of. To be clear, American Psycho isn't meant to be viewed as a serious thriller but rather a dark comedy. The film does such an excellent job introducing us to Bateman's persona as we really learn how narcissistic and superficial of a person he really is. It leaves great hints into the violent thoughts he has at the start and slowly descends into the chaos in a way that feels organic. Not only that, the film provides us with very clever commentary on the self-adulation of businessmen during the simplest of scenes such as a group of them discussing business cards. The direction, sound design and acting all combined tells us all about Bateman and his co-workers. Mary Harron directed this story with immense skill. She balances the violence with enough comedy that somehow makes it hilarious rather than disturbing and the script, filled with memorable sequences and quotable lines, attribute to that tone.
The creation of the 80's is also an aspect I admire. From the visual representation of New York City to the monologues on music from Huey Lewis and the News, Phil Collins and Whitney Houston, all of this meshes to create an accurate representation of that time period. When it comes to performances, Christian Bale steals the show. One of his best performances to date, Bale's portrayal of Patrick Bateman is brilliant on so many levels. With the tone he uses for certain lines to reveal the character's narcissism to the deep, dark and piercing effect he creates once he goes about violent tendencies, Bale's acting is top-notch. Willem Dafoe and Jared Leto are also great in their short roles.
American Psycho is a unique character study that works incredibly due to the synergy between Mary Harron's direction, the script and Christian Bale's powerhouse of a performance. It's a beautifully constructed piece of work that will remain as one of my favourite films of all time.