Mary Harron and Guinever Turner (based on the
novel by Bret Easton Ellis)
R
Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Reese
Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Samantha Mathis, Justin Theroux, Josh
Lucas, and Cara Seymour
The surface-is-substance world of the 1980's is,
from our well-ensconced position in the 21st century, an era ripe
for deconstruction, even satire and ridicule. Bret Easton
Ellis, the enfant terrible of the modern literary scene,
came to prominence by doing just that. His horrifying novel AMERICAN
PSYCHO, which has just been adapted and directed for the screen
by Mary Harron, attempted to make connections between the stylistic
emptiness of yuppie corporate culture and the search for genuine
emotional experience. In his sensational version, of course, the
emotional experience was that of serial killing, which lent the
novel a frightening, compulsive context.
The film AMERICAN PSYCHO, however, has no such
latitude, thanks to the economics of mass entertainment and the
strict guidelines of the Motion Picture Association Of America
(which originally slapped this film with an NC-17 rating; the
edited version, released now, received an R). Director Mary Harron
has made, perhaps, the only choice she could have made -- reduce
the gory violence and highlight the comedic, satirical elements
of Ellis' story. It's a strategy that suceeds in entertaining
the audience, but diminishes the overall power of the social critique
Ellis had in mind.
The AMERICAN PSYCHO in question is Patrick Bateman
(Christian Bale), a young corporate executive who seems to have
little to do in his company besides have arbitrary meetings scheduled
by his secretary Jean (Oscar nominee Chloe Sevigny). His 'friends',
if you can call them that, include fellow young guns like Timothy
Bryce (Justin Theroux), competitors like Paul Owen (Jared Leto),
a clueless fiancee, Evelyn Williams (Reese Witherspoon), and a
drug-addled mistress, Courtney Rawlinson (Samantha Mathis). For
Bateman, it's a lifestyle built upon what he should be
doing -- climbing the ladder, making the points, making sure even
small details (including a hilarious obsession with business card
printing) keep him at the top of his game.
Still, Bateman finds it all unsatisfying. He works
out incessantly, drinks constantly, snorts cocaine daily, but
ultimately only finds satisfaction in killing those less deserving
that himself. What begins as the removal of unsightly social elements,
like homeless people, eventually becomes more -- he kills Paul
Owen in a fit a jealousy, as well as a street prostitute (Cara
Seymour) for simply getting away from him. He accompanies his
murderous spree with extemporaneous ruminations about pop culture,
including thoughtful, detailed reviews of Huey Lewis and The News
and Phil Collins' "Sussudio" while preparing to decimate
his unknowning victims.
It's a perfectly ingenious mix for a horror classic,
but Harron's AMERICAN PSYCHO sacrifices the requisite weight
of Bateman's existence for cheap jokes and obvious satire. In
her hands, Bateman isn't menacing, but misguided; his actions
seem the desperate failings of a man who can't cut it, rather
than a symptomatic expression of a culture that puts "me"
first, everything else second. What was one of the most frightening
books of the last decade -- psychologically and culturally --
is rendered into a step above slapstick.
Putting aside the betrayals of its own source material,
however, AMERICAN PSYCHO offers some charming elements
that making viewing worthwhile. Chief among this is Bale, who
is superb as Bateman. Buffed, tan, with a gleaming smile, Bale
charms both the camera and his victims with a cool, detached suavity.
His bloodlust is as believable as it is hilarious; chasing a woman
with a chainsaw while naked isn't the easiest task for an actor,
but Bale hits a delicate balance between comedy and rage. In scenes
where he exposes Bateman's narcissism -- watching himself in the
mirror as he has sex with two women, or experiencing shock when
someone mistakes him for a homosexual -- Bale navigates the difficult
material with maturity and confidence.
The Gen-X cast features some of the most talented actors
working today, including memorable turns by Sevigny, Witherspoon
and Leto. The gleamingly pristine art direction by Andrew M. Stearn
and minutely detailed production design by Gideon Ponte are Oscar-worthy;
indeed, the atmosphere is practically a character unto itself,
exposing more about the characters that they would ever admit.
AMERICAN PSYCHO is, clearly, a missed opportunity;
fans of Ellis will undoubtably hang their heads in sadness watching
the film. For others, however, it's still worth viewing. Patrick
Bateman's morality tale may not be as strong as it was on paper,
but for moviegoers, it will nevertheless prove a rollicking good
time. Think of it as comic cinema for the sicko inside all of
us. Feed your own internal Ted Bundy.
