American Psycho

Christian Bale gives a succulently twisted performance as a hollow, soulless Wall Street suit who moonlights as a violent, psychopathic serial killer in this icy, incisive and very black satire of 1980s aggressiveness and indulgence. Adapted by director Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) from Bret Easton Ellis' controversial and bloody psychological thriller, American Psycho is an intense, engrossing, ironic and perceptive piece of backhanded Americana. In mood it's somewhere between American Beauty and Fight Club. In inspiration, it owes much to the cults of Gordon Gekko and Hannibal Lecter. But its unfulfilled promise of something more substantive feels like eating a gourmet meal and still being hungry afterwards. Still, given its pluses, this is a strong optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review--June 14, 2005--Lions Gate, 102 min., not rated, $19.98--Making its third appearance on DVD, 2000's American Psycho: Killer Collector's Edition sports a solid transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with director/co-writer Mary Harron; the other with co-writer/costar Guinevere Turner), a four-part featurette called “American Psycho: From Book to Screen” which includes “The Pornography of Killing,” a video essay by Holly Willis (49 min.), “The 80's Downtown” about the decade (32 min.), five deleted scenes with optional commentary (12 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an ambitious if somewhat flawed film.]