American Psycho, directed by Mary Harron, is a Canadian-American horror film with a hint of dark humor. It was released in 2000, and it stars Christain Bale, as the main character, and features Willem Defoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon and Chloe Sevigny. The film has received a lot of positive reviews and led to a sequel, American Psycho II: All American Girl. But this movie has no relation to the original film and is not as popular.

American Psycho is about a 27-year-old man who suffers from both narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders. Patrick Bateman (Bale) is an emotionless, successful investment banker in New York City. The twist is that he leads a double life as a serial killer. No one really expects a successful business man to be a serial killer, because he has everything he wants.

Be warned: there are spoilers ahead!

Patrick spends his time dining at high-end restaurants with his associates and keeping a very polished image for himself. Supposedly, he is engaged to Evelyn Williams (Witherspoon) but does not care for her at all. The movie is really full of twists and turns, especially when he gets upset over something regarding work, and we see him murder a homeless person and his dog for the first time. 

Patrick hates feeling like anyone is superior to him or has power over him, but when he does have that feeling, he turns to murder. Patrick attends a Christmas party where a colleague named Paul Allen (Leto) flaunts his new business card. Patrick is enraged with envy, over the superiority and control that Paul seems to have over him. In order to feel relieved, he invites Paul to dinner and manipulates him into getting drunk, lures him into the apartment, and kills him with an axe.

There is no point throughout the movie when I felt bored or uninterested. The actors play their roles perfectly. Christain Bale, for example, had clearly researched his role and followed a strict workout and nutrition regimen to have the “Greek God” physique necessary for his role. 

Even before this movie premiered, Bale was a very well-known and beloved actor throughout the world. Willem Dafoe, the investigator, was also very iconic in the movie, especially after he starred in Spider-Man as Green Goblin. 

The music featured in the movie has a huge impact on the mood of the story, and it gives the viewers a better understanding of what kind of a person Patrick is. While he is walking, working, eating, exercising, lovemaking or murdering, he is listening to music. Not only does he enjoy music, but he also knows the background information about each song and singer. 

He asks one of his victims, “Did you know that Whitney Houston’s debut LP, called simply Whitney Houston, had four number-one singles on it? Did you know that, Christie?” He values the people who make the music and has respect for them, unlike everyone else he interacts with. 

Everyone should watch American Psycho at least once. There are so many interesting scenes, and the ending leaves the viewer questioning everything that has occurred before. 

Truly this movie isn’t a waste of time and is recommended for everyone. And if you like American Psycho, then you should also watch The Game and The Machinist.