American Psycho (2000)
Using the novel of the same name, by Bret Easton Ellis, as source material, writer-director Mary Harron and her co-writer Guinevere Turner deliver a sharply observed satire on the modern consumerist life, set against the backdrop of the stock exchange. Set in the Manhattan of 1987, the film stars Christian Bale as an investment banker with apparent psychopathic tendencies, and a pattern of homicidal behaviour.
Bateman is less than enamoured of the shallow personalities that clutter up his inner-circle, while seeming to be a shallow personality himself. He murders a colleague (Jared Leto) whose business card is better than his, and employs the services of prostitutes – some of whom he abuses, and some of whom he brutally murders. He works hard to maintain his perfect façade, however – providing himself with the kind of lavish lifestyle he likes, and that also meets the expectations of his fiancee, Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon). All the while, Bateman is subtly pursued by a persistent police detective (Willem Dafoe).
While the film caused controversy due to its depictions of extreme violence, it is a scathing commentary on our willingness to create a permissive atmosphere and, conversely, our reluctance to see the ugly truth, when it is presented in a package of perceived perfection and success.
