Matisse van Rossum’s review published on Letterboxd:
American Psycho is a perfectly succinct examination of misogyny, American materialism, and insanity viewed through the eyes of true psychopath, Patrick Bateman. Stylistically, this is an incredible film. It perfectly juxtaposes the artificiality and sterility of Bateman's everyday life and career as a Wall Street investment banker with the dark, gruesome, egocentric mind that lurks underneath. Mary Harron creates this thin, translucent veneer of artificiality that covers the scenes in which Bateman interacts with others that feels so fake, it almost gives the impression of shoddy filmmaking. The dialogue feels over exaggerated and forced, but while you would normally attribute this to bad or inexperienced actors and a poorly written script, in American Psycho, it's just a part of the atmosphere and part of the effect. And that's the genius of this film. It's the darker scenes, in which Bateman indulges his homicidal desires, which feel more natural, while still having the perfect level of absurdity.
This is a film that's steeped in absurdity, but such well planned and intricate absurdity that it's almost like watching a vaudeville performance at times. It's wonderful. Bateman's explanations of various musicians and which selections of their discographies are the true masterpieces while he commits murders or depraved sexual acts are darkly comedic, while at the same time being terrifying. Harron achieves a perfect balance between the amusing and the macabre. And it's all put together neatly, with some exquisite little touches and references here and there and topped off with a red ribbon.
This film reminded me that Christian Bale is, in fact, a good actor. As much as I love the Dark Knight trilogy, I've always found his performance to be quite weak in those films. The opposite is true in American Psycho. He's truly the star that outshines all others. His portrayal of Bateman's insanity is incredibly horrific and convincing, and he breathes life into one of the most detestable characters in film or literature. Willem Dafoe provides his usual solid performance in a small, but memorable role. The rest of the cast is good, but forgettable, but since the film isn't really about them, it doesn't hurt the overall effect.
I've never read Brett Easton Ellis's novel that this film is based on, so in terms of comparison, I don't have a standpoint. But I enjoyed this film enough that I'm definitely considering giving it a read.