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American Psycho
DVD/APPROX. 104 MINS/2000/USA UNRATED
DVD/APPROX. 104 MINS/2000/USA UNRATED
9
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American Psycho is based on a novel by Bret Easton Ellis. The book encountered a huge backlash and was banned in many stores when it was
first released due to its intense and well executed degrading murders and tortures against women. Feminists and Christians alike hated it and
deemed it vile and misogynistic.
This film does not equal the violence of the book, it concentrates on satirizing the 80's period and it does so well, from the designer clothes to the
soundtrack, watching American Psycho is like taking a trip back to the 80's.
Bale delivers an amazing performance as Patrick Bateman, a seemingly neurotic rich male who works on Wall Street. What he does we are never
quite sure of. As the movie progresses Bateman gets more and more out of control and the killings become more frequent. The movie stays pretty
true to the book except for the chainsaw scene and the odd small detail that only obsessive fans of the book would pick up on. Many fans of the
book deem the movie to be a Hollywood film and complain that it is not violent enough. In the book Patrick talks a lot about 80's culture, the music
the clothing etc, and this translates well in the movie. The violence in the book is far too extreme and I couldn't see how it could even be as
effective in the movie as it was in the book, visually it would have been so hard to pull off some of the tortures/murders and to try and emulate the
same intensity as the book has seems impossible. I think it was a wise move to focus more on the era rather than the violence as people would
only complain it wasn't gory enough.
Made on a budget of 6 million dollars, you would swear it cost at least $20 million to make, American Psycho has beautiful cinematography and
the opening credit images are really effective. This is certainly not a Hollywood film although there are a handful of big name stars, the Director
Mary Harron (I shot Andy Warhol) fought hard to keep the movie from Hollywood's hands. Originally Leonardo DiCaprio was set to play Bateman
which outraged Harron who contemplated leaving the project. Female activist Gloria Steinem talked DiCaprio out of the role as he had thousands
of teenage fans and such a role would not go down well. DiCaprio would have pocketed $22 million dollars for the part. The ironic thing is that
Gloria Steinem is Christian Bales stepmother.
This is a great movie and compared to most books turned movies, this one stayed pretty true to the book. If you are a huge fan of the book you
might be disappointed, I just really dug Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, I think he did an amazing job and every time I see a picture of him I see
Patrick Bateman. Check out the Killer Collector's Edition of the film, released by Lions Gate it is uncut, has 2 commentaries, American Psycho: From
book to screen including a video essay- The pornography of killing, also a documentary on the 80's downtown featuring celebutante and ex club
kid James St James, deleted scenes with optional director commentary plus more.
first released due to its intense and well executed degrading murders and tortures against women. Feminists and Christians alike hated it and
deemed it vile and misogynistic.
This film does not equal the violence of the book, it concentrates on satirizing the 80's period and it does so well, from the designer clothes to the
soundtrack, watching American Psycho is like taking a trip back to the 80's.
Bale delivers an amazing performance as Patrick Bateman, a seemingly neurotic rich male who works on Wall Street. What he does we are never
quite sure of. As the movie progresses Bateman gets more and more out of control and the killings become more frequent. The movie stays pretty
true to the book except for the chainsaw scene and the odd small detail that only obsessive fans of the book would pick up on. Many fans of the
book deem the movie to be a Hollywood film and complain that it is not violent enough. In the book Patrick talks a lot about 80's culture, the music
the clothing etc, and this translates well in the movie. The violence in the book is far too extreme and I couldn't see how it could even be as
effective in the movie as it was in the book, visually it would have been so hard to pull off some of the tortures/murders and to try and emulate the
same intensity as the book has seems impossible. I think it was a wise move to focus more on the era rather than the violence as people would
only complain it wasn't gory enough.
Made on a budget of 6 million dollars, you would swear it cost at least $20 million to make, American Psycho has beautiful cinematography and
the opening credit images are really effective. This is certainly not a Hollywood film although there are a handful of big name stars, the Director
Mary Harron (I shot Andy Warhol) fought hard to keep the movie from Hollywood's hands. Originally Leonardo DiCaprio was set to play Bateman
which outraged Harron who contemplated leaving the project. Female activist Gloria Steinem talked DiCaprio out of the role as he had thousands
of teenage fans and such a role would not go down well. DiCaprio would have pocketed $22 million dollars for the part. The ironic thing is that
Gloria Steinem is Christian Bales stepmother.
This is a great movie and compared to most books turned movies, this one stayed pretty true to the book. If you are a huge fan of the book you
might be disappointed, I just really dug Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, I think he did an amazing job and every time I see a picture of him I see
Patrick Bateman. Check out the Killer Collector's Edition of the film, released by Lions Gate it is uncut, has 2 commentaries, American Psycho: From
book to screen including a video essay- The pornography of killing, also a documentary on the 80's downtown featuring celebutante and ex club
kid James St James, deleted scenes with optional director commentary plus more.
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