Patrick Bateman (no relation to Robert) is the ultimate mid '80s Wall Street yuppie whiz kid. He's rich, handsome and meticulous in his appearance. He's very competitive, and completely fanatic about status; nothing upsets him more than a colleague out-doing him with a better apartment, a reservation at a more prestigious restaurant, or even a classier business card. In this regard, Patrick is typical, but he does posses one very unique and sinister trait: he's a violent psychopath with an increasing appetite for murder.
One would think that as the body count rises and this grisly habit becomes more and more difficult to conceal, young Patrick would inevitably fall from grace. Not so! It so happens that a total lack of humanity is much more of an asset than a liability in his elite social circle. The truth of the matter is, most of Patrick's associates are also quite bloodless, and they hardly notice a thing as his psychotic rage boils to the surface.
The movie eventually becomes kind of a nightmare fantasy, and it's hard to tell whether Mr. Bateman's atrocities are real or imagined. Whatever the case, this movie offers a fascinating illustration of dysfunctional upper-class arrogance, American style.
How ironic that they should choose a British actor, Christian Bale (the sexually confused young glam-rock fan in Velvet Goldmine) for the lead. It turns out, he was a fantastic choice; he was completely convincing as the cold-blooded empty shell of a human being that is Patrick Bateman. This movie has made me a big fan of Christian's; I only hope that he doesn't become typecast in this kind of role for having done it so well (he's already gone on to play a murderous preppie villain in Shaft).
This movie is not without humor. The soundtrack features a number of trite, upbeat hits from the '80s that are very amusing, juxtaposed with the ghastly crimes they accompany. I had to smile as Patrick analyzed tunes by Huey Lewis & The News, Genesis and Whitney Houston as though they were impressionist paintings from the 1800s. (And if you think about it, what cinematic expose of '80s culture would be complete without a nice, well-aimed swipe at Phil Collins?)
Obviously, this is not what you'd call a "feel-good" movie per se, (definitely not a date flick) but I highly recommend it to anyone with sharpness of wit, in the mood for a little deconstruction.