I've been letting my thoughts for this film percolate now for about twenty four hours, so before any more time goes by I'll try to get it all down here. I thought there was something up with the picture when Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) and his cronies were comparing business cards for the first time. I got the impression that it was all a sham, that none of them were actually Vice Presidents of Pierce and Pierce, and that they were actually role playing the position of executives in anticipation of an eventual promotion. Bateman himself never seemed to do any work, other than having his secretary line up his appointments to meet associates or clients so he could spend additional time not working some more.

The bigger tip off that this was possibly all just an imaginary story was the 'Feed me a stray cat' scene. By this time it was pretty well established that Bateman was unhinged, but the question is, to what degree. Did he really engage in those prior killing sprees or did he just imagine it? Or a third possibility, was he envisioning what it would be like to go completely berserk if all bets were off and he could completely get away with it. By the time the story's over, I think you'd have to be open to all these various interpretations, because in the 'real' world, you wouldn't have a realtor showing an apartment where bodies hung in the closet just days before.

Going in, I had some trepidation when the DVD opened to a menu screen suggesting a splatter flick, and if I'm not mistaken, an image of a chain saw somewhere along the way. I've seen a couple of slasher/gore films in my time, and though I'm not that squeamish (any more),that kind of stuff does nothing for me. So anticipating a chain saw scene, I could only groan at the impossibility of the physics involved in poor Jean (Chloe Sevigny) taking a direct bull's eye hit like that at the bottom of the staircase. Just one more suggestion that this wasn't really happening.

And what of Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe)? What happened to him? Was this Bateman's guilt becoming manifest, either because of an actual murder or because of his own malicious thoughts? Generally I get really upset about movies like this because they tamper with one's ability to follow a coherent story and come to a reliable conclusion about what happened in it. But then again, it's got the word 'Psycho' in the title, so I guess all bets are off. Personally, twenty five dollars for a couple of drinks at a trendy New York City night club is about as psycho as I'll ever get.

A controversial adaptation of the controversial Brett Easton Ellis novel, this is actually a brilliantly conceived movie that sheds new life on the disturbed world of the serial killer – and as such may be the most innovative "psycho" movie since, well, PSYCHO! Filmly embedded in a hilariously '80s setting, this is both a thriller and a biting satire of the decade, with tons of subtle comedy and lashings of black humour to make the grisly subject matter a lot easier to digest.

It's a wonderfully shot movie with plenty of memorable scenes, such as the infamous chainsaw murder, or the bit where Jared Leto gets an axe in the face. The movie works so well thanks to the strong acting which really makes it entertaining. Christian Bale is outstanding, a wonderful and scary and believable performance as a emotionless psychopath who realises that his own murderous inclinations are evil but is unable to do anything about it. His performance never falters for a moment.

Similarly, the supporting cast of quirky characters are excellent – Reese Witherspoon's dumb-as-nails bitch; Samantha Mathis's junkie; Willem Dafoe's weirdo detective, plus a vivid array of minor roles. Although the movie is violent and pretty disgusting in places, it remains watchable and entertaining throughout thanks to the quirkily playful script and Bale's engaging performance. Definitely worth a look!

I think it is safe to say that almost everybody over the age of 25 has at least heard of the film "American Psycho" and so so many have also seen it I am sure. I myself have not until today, so I was certainly curious how this one would turn out. The film runs for slightly under 100 minutes (including credits) and was made back in 2000, so not too long anymore until it has its 20th anniversary. This is the most known work for most of the people involved in the making here, especially director Mary Harron, who is also one of the two writers who adapted the Bret Easton Ellis novel. And even with Bale having the Batman movies in his body of work and an Oscar for a boxing movie, there are still many people who think his turn as Patrick Bateman is still his career-defining role. The character's name said something even to me without having seen this film.

But I must say that ultimately I was very disappointed. Bale is an actor who always gives it his everything and the result is that sometimes he is just tremendously good, but on other occasions he is also off the mark and slightly on the hammy side and there were moments like that in "American Psycho" too, for example in the one shot with all the blood splatter that reminded me the television show "Dexter". Anyway, I still think he elevated the material overall here and is one of the better components. The film itself is a mess in terms of the script at times especially. I think the best moments were probably all the ones in Bateman's apartment and I am not just talking about the bloody murder sequences, but also the conversations. Bateman seems like a cold-blooded killer at times, but then you also feel that it is inside him and that he tries to fight it even, for example when he tries to protect his assistant from the beast that he is. And even if he killed several male characters, especially early on, he is a complete misogynist and I am not somebody who uses this term lightly. Just remember the "head on a stick" quote or so. That even shocked the other bankers at his table.

Anyway, people who like Bale will probably enjoy this film more than usual. I personally also like Witherspoon, Dafoe and Leto for example and I felt that this trio was so underused and wasted in here. Of course, you can make a point that it is all about Bateman, but still. Dafoe's character is the best example. He seems to smell something is wrong with our "hero" here, but it's not about arresting Bateman, not even after the confession and the best example is how the film ends. The very last shot. I will not go into detail about this one any more. You will know what I mean when you see it. Anyway, overall very little is really memorable here apart from Bale's performance perhaps and the general subject. But there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of other films about serial killers out there that aren't worse to be honest. And these do not get 1% of the attention that this one here is getting. After watching this one, I can see why critics do not like it as much as general audiences. I think "American Psycho" is a really overseen movie (does that word exist? the opposite of underseen) and also very overrated. If you are among the very few who haven't seen it yet, I suggest you keep it that way. You really aren't missing too much.