|
Those of us who remember the release of Bret Easton Ellis' controversial 1990 novel American Psycho also remember the frenzied protests against it at the time. And at first glance, the tale might warrant such malignment. Its title character is one Patrick Bateman, a well-heeled New York yuppie with a high-paying job he hates, a fiancee he doesn't really want to marry, and a penchant for viciously murdering prostitutes, rivaling colleagues, and anyone else who crosses his line of acceptable behavior. Be not misguided: Bateman is no hero, or even anti-hero. He is, as per his narrative voice-over, a self-professed non-person. As essayed by British actor Christian Bale (using a flawless American accent), Bateman is best described as tragic. He is a successful figure who has no real humanity. His entire raison d'etre is egocentrism, and everything he says and does--all his interactions with other characters in the tale--is filtered through his own personal set of values. That set of values is far-removed from being in touch with reality, though, and that is why he engages in murderous rages against those whom he disdains. Bateman's greatest weakness, however, is his jealousy of the very materialistic elements he so abhors. Several scenes involve colleagues comparing the printing quality of their business cards, and each one is accompanied by satirically dramatic musical cues--one of the film's funniest points. From the choice of musical offerings, this film seems to be set in 1988, since no other year could yield Robert Palmer's hit single "Simply Irresistable" as a new song. Indeed, rock music plays a role in Bateman's soliloquies to his victims, as he rattles on about the "deep meanings" behind the lyrics of Huey Lewis, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins and other 1980's musical luminaries. Playing off Bale's calm-to-frenzied performance is Willem Dafoe's appearance as a police detective whose fairly-innocuous questions appear to unhinge Bateman. The camera tracks in close on Dafoe in these scenes, portraying his character in a grotesque form that distorts his countenance from a truth-seeker into a villain unto himself. Again, though, we're seeing this through Bateman's eyes, and we can't forget that it's Bateman who's the villain here. American Psycho is not the comedy that so many critics have labeled it. Neither is it the horror film that television commercials would suggest. Instead, it is a character drama which possesses elements of both of the above. And the character drama crescendoes into tragedy, once the viewer is shown that monetary success cannot compensate for emptiness of the soul.
>>Back<< >>Features Main<<
|
