This film is on Bravo's 30 Even Scarier Movie Moments. While I'm not a huge fan of that list, I am a huge fan of this movie, so I decided to put this review from 2008 here. It clocks in at #22.
I really enjoyed this film. It was really, really, funny and very well crafted.
It's the story of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), a wealthy wall street hot shot who has buried himself so deeply in the 80's yuppie culture that people don't even know who he is. In fact, several characters think he's actually someone else; all of the names are different. That's how generic he is. The thing is, he's also a murderous psychopath whose losing control of his "tendencies". So, I suppose that makes him unique. Bale is great as a pompous, overstuffed, emotionless psychopath who feels nothing but greed and anger. He does have other interests, though. He loves music, food, and fine things.
This movie, in my opinion, is a black comedy before it's anything else. The murders are more comically over the top than scary; there's not a ton of suspense. But the comment on the absolutely self-absorbed new rich in the 80's is just hilarious. They call each other by the wrong names and don't even realize, nor do they care. They obsess over who has better clothes, a better car, a better apartment, or a better haircut. My favorite scene is when they're comparing business cards, all of which look identical. They're all so preoccupied that they don't even notice if Bateman mentions that he killed someone the night before, or realize that he has a body in his overnight bag (only that it's a great bag).
Now, there's a lot of violence, sex, swearing, and nudity in this film, which makes no difference to me, but if you're offended by such things, you're probably not going to enjoy this movie. However, it's really funny and smart, so if you can stomach it, I highly recommend this film. A dern good time.
Best line in the whole thing: "I have to go. I have a lunch meeting with Cliff Huxtable at the four seasons."
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