“American Psycho” is a thriller film directed by Mary Harron and released in 2000. It was an adaptation of the controversial novel of the same name written by Bret Easton Ellis, and the film gained widespread attention for its themes of consumerism and masculinity, but the general reception could be considered mixed initially due to its heavy contents.

The plot focuses on a young businessman named Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, famed for this role. Bale, in my opinion, delivers an exceptional performance to the point that it is excessively good, but I’ll get to that. Bateman starts off innocent enough, but that changes to the audience when he threatens to murder a woman in a bar. But that is scratching the surface for his further actions.

As the film progresses, his killings get more and more unsettling, and the one that shocks me the most is when he stabs a homeless man and kicks his dog to death. Nothing really phases me in fiction anymore, but that was rough.

But the scene that everyone remembers as the most notable from this film is the axe to the head. Patrick gets his co-worker Paul drunk, leads him to his apartment, puts on a raincoat and proceeds to chop his face with a sharp axe, all while Huey Lewis plays in the background. Many are disturbed by this sequence, but I find it darkly comedic, but it probably wouldn’t be without Bale’s unbelievable performance. He genuinely felt like a psychopath while this film was being shot, it’s perfect.

The cinematography in this movie is also fascinating, with several shots are noteworthy, but there is a transition that stands out. During the opening of the film, there is an unnerving shot of Patrick looking in the mirror, monologuing while eerie music is playing, distantly. However, this creepy image is removed as it transitions to a fast camera zooming across the skylines of New York City with a cheery melody playing before cutting to our protagonist walking down a hallway with headphones, indicating Patrick was listening to the song through them. It starts with the camera in front of him before cutting behind him. I found this a comical but well made transition and brilliant camerawork. There is a highly uncomfortable sex scene that involves a threesome, and while awkward, it is captured at multiple angles and Bale’s acting in the scene is, once again, hilariously great.

A popular belief that this film is sexist, as it features a male mercilessly killing helpless women, and additionally it was directed by a woman. It undisputedly deals with masculinity, and the businessmen in the film are depicted as males who are obsessed with status and wealth. And also, there is an entire discussion to be had about Bateman getting away with it. However, it doesn’t glorify violence as it is a satirical film on male dominance. It is a violent, violent movie, but not for the sake of being mindlessly so. Male dominance and toxic masculinity is still an issue in society, and that’s a big reason as to why the movie has stayed popular. It wants to portray a message (which to many it does), but overall it is a very complex film that can be viewed at a million different angles, so you should make up your own thoughts about it. So ultimately, I find it, in my best words, a critique on toxic masculinity and the damaging effects it can have on society.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this movie, especially with Bale’s irreplaceably fantastic acting and the wonderful shots and monologues. I’d give this film an overall score of 9 out of 10.