Based on the controversial novel by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho, starring Christian Bale, premiered 20 years ago. The story follows the unreliable narrator Patrick Bateman, a classic late-90s era Wall Street yuppy, and his descent into madness. American Psycho is infamous for its graphic depictions of violence, especially against women, and quickly developed a cult following. Along with Fight Club, it has been described as a zeitgeist piece of fiction defining the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. American Psycho paints a chilling picture as it conveys the idea that psychopaths devoid of empathy can be hiding in plain sight. It goes further than this, suggesting that a consumeristic, egoistic society is what drove them to psychopathy in the first place. Christian Bale expertly interprets the character of Patrick Bateman as the distortion of the American Dream. In a world where hyper-capitalism and excessive consumption still reign supreme, American Psycho is just as relevant as it was 20 years ago.
Watch the trailer below:
