From NetFlix:

With a chiseled chin and an iron physique, Patrick Bateman’s looks make him the ideal yuppie — and the ideal serial killer. That’s the joke behind American Psycho, which follows a killer at large during the 1980s junk-bond boom. Bateman (Christian Bale) takes pathological pride in everything from his business card to his Huey Lewis CD collection, all the while plotting his next victim’s vivisection.

Opinions vary wildly on this controversial film. Despite the horror, I found myself laughing at the satirical approach to nonchalant mayhem. Moreover, in this vein I saw the obvious connection between this story and the TV series Dexter (2006) featuring a serial killer who kills serial killers.

Certain more objectionable parts were left in the uncut version that I got from NetFlix. Should I have felt guilty watching this film ? At any rate, let me just jot down some “notes” and let you decide. To help you form an opinion you might also read the Wikipedia article.

• Christian Bale is a study in perfect acting. He put himself through intense physical training to look the part.
• Much of the satire centers on the complete vapidity of the financial traders. They constantly try to outdo each other by creating fancy calling cards. At one point Patrick is so incensed that someone else’s card is nicer than his card that he goes out and vents his anger by murdering someone.
• Another point of satire is the obsession about eating at the best restaurant, one-upping each other on begin able to get a prized reservation.
• Reese Witherspoon does a great job as Patrick’s clueless fiancee. In one restaurant scene she babbles on about the personalities she spies while Patrick is drawing sadomasochistic pictures on the tablecloth.
• Willem Dafoe is a totally different actor from his usual self. He successfully portrays a private detective affecting an exaggerated smile and cloying society manners.
• Little by little I began to suspect that Patrick’s intimate circle of financial goons (who explicitly hated women) were all homosexual. Patrick calls this phenomenon the “Yale thing”.
• As he prepares yet another victim for slaughter, he banters on and on to that unsuspecting victim about the marvels of some piece of popular music.
• You never see damage being done to a human body. You may be there while it is happening, but you do not really see it. Just the very bloody aftermath. At one point you see a completely naked and blood covered Patrick running down a hall with a chain saw.
• At one point Patrick really loses his grip and the film also seems to lose control.

My biggest disappointment was that I did not understand how the story ended. If anyone has the stomach to watch this blood bath, please tell me how Patrick gets away with his crimes. Did he kill someone who was pretending to be Paul Allen ? What happened when at the end he steals into an apartment being shown for rent only to discover that all his bodies stashed in the closet have disappeared ?

Not really a gore fest, but close!