American Psycho Blu-ray offers decent video and audio in this still overall recommended Blu-ray release
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a Wall Street yuppie, obsessed with success, status, and
style, with a stunning fianceé (Reese Witherspoon). He is also a psychotic killer who rapes,
murders and dismembers both strangers and acquaintances without provocation or purpose.
Based on the controversial novel by Bret Easton Ellis, the film offers a sharp satire to the dark
side of yuppie culture in the 80s, while setting forth a vision that is both terrifying and chilling.
I have all the characteristics of a human being ... but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion
except for greed and disgust.
American Psycho is a character study of disturbing proportions, delving deep into the
human psyche and the primal, carnal, and the egomaniacal forces that reside inside every
individual, and the battle to contain and overpower these raw emotions is the constant struggle
of
mankind. For most, the battle is easily won as moral values, character, integrity, and perhaps
even
religion easily subdue the most dastardly of these urges, but for some, the insatiable desire to act
on the most primitive of instincts is a losing battle, one that is waged and lost first in the mind
and
soul, and eventually in a physical embodiment of power that is the external release of days,
weeks,
months, years, perhaps even decades worth of pent-up inner conflict that creates what society
often refers to as "psychos." American Psycho depicts one such individual who has
obviously and decisively lost the battle with the rational and sane, and has accepted defeat as
witnessed through the unrelenting yet incredibly calm and collected demeanor by which he
releases his deepest, darkest, and most egregious of primal instincts.
Patrick Bateman -- smug on the outside, sadistic on the inside.
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale, Batman Begins) is a 27
year old model of success. He's one of several Vice Presidents at a prestigious Wall Street firm,
has a beautiful fiancé (played by Reese Witherspoon, Cruel Intentions),
nightly reservations at New York's trendiest restaurants and clubs, and professionally made
business cards. He sticks to a strict diet and exercise regimen, impeccably grooms himself, and
resides in a swank apartment. He also has a taste for murder, blood, and brains. "I want to stab
you to death, and play around in your blood," he says to a barkeep at the beginning of the film.
The line is ignored, the first hint that, perhaps, his psychosis remains internal, a fantasy rather
than reality. Bateman brutally murders victims throughout the movie, often to the beat of
popular music, like Hip to be Square, with lyrics that fit both his personality and the
themes of the film. One murder in particular draws the attention of a private investigator (Willen
Dafoe, xXx: State of the
Union) , but
the
added challenge doesn't seem to effect Bateman -- his murderous streak lives on until a series of
events will shake him to the core -- and perhaps reveal some truth about his condition.
The Patrick Bateman character is a psychotherapist's dream come true. There is a deep,
philosophical
undertone to the film that delves straight into several underlying themes, such as greed, status,
instinct, perversion, and vanity. As he says, only greed and disgust control his life, and it is these
individuals who bring those emotions to the surface -- a homeless man, prostitutes, and a fellow
businessman, Paul Allen, who tries to "one-up" Bateman by having his own tanning bed at home,
while Bateman, who has a nice tan, goes to a salon (it's no wonder the film is called American
Psycho). Paul
Allen's death provides a running theme throughout the movie. The character's disappearance is
the subject of an investigation, and he provides Bateman with perhaps the most clear-cut reason
to kill in the movie, based on Batemanian logic, anyway. Bateman is a man who needs to be
first -- he cannot tolerate the fact that someone may have a more handsome business card than
he does, for example -- and his diet, exercise, and personal grooming habits are second-to-none.
His hard work and success are of the utmost importance to him, but Allen confuses him for
another individual at the firm, an individual that admittedly has the same job and wears the
same suits as Bateman, but despite his status, success, and visibility, to Allen he is anonymous to
the point of becoming another man entirely. On top of that, Allen has a superior business card.
It is because the movie delves into awkward territories of the human experience, taking
audiences to places and showing them things they rarely see that American Psycho is
such a fresh breath of cinematic air. It's also an ambiguous movie; there is no sense of closure
or final say as to whether the film exists in reality or if it is simply another battlefield in the
internal struggle for Bateman's mind and soul. Nevertheless, Christian Bale proves his worth as
one of the finest actors of his generation. From Steven Spielberg's best and most
under-appreciated film Empire of the Sun to his performance here and in Christopher
Nolan's Batman reboot franchise, Bale's is a true talent; his acting ability is superior to
many of his peers and he doesn't land jobs simply because of good looks or a well-maintained
physique. His portrayal of Bateman is superb, as expected. He handles the material with a sense
of humor and a seriousness that make the character so much more than dialogue on a page. He
often speaks like he is reciting from an encyclopedia or a highbrow journal, and is so over the top
that we cannot help but find the material hilarious. That's all that saves the movie from being
unwatchable, overly graphic, and far too disturbing for audiences.
American Psycho presents viewers with a moderately good 1080p, 2.35:1 framed
transfer.
The strength of the transfer is simply in its high definition appearance. The material has that
"glance at it and you can tell that it is high def" appearance thanks to improved detail and clarity,
strong colors, and its stable, sharp image even at large magnifications. Still, this is a fairly
unremarkable high definition video presentation when compared to the film's contemporaries on
Blu-ray disc. The open of the movie over the white background exhibits quite a few pops and
specks. In fact, their presence remains very heavy over the remainder of the opening credits.
These speckles remain throughout the movie, but tone down drastically after the opening credits
are through rolling. There is a hint of edge enhancement in a few places when we can see a
ghostly outline around the actors. There is also a thin, black line running horizontally
immediately above and below the "black bars" through the entire movie. A scene where
Bateman
watches "Jeopardy" in his
office near
the beginning of the movie is a good example. Flesh tones appear a bit off, but the detail is good
enough that, in close-ups, we can plainly see the make-up worn by the actors. Blacks are solid,
but sometimes veer to the gray side of the scale. Colors are generally distinct and exciting, and
the movie takes on a happy-go-lucky look and feel that so often feels like an extension of the
Bateman character. Locations are sharp, detailed, and eccentric, much like the film's primary
character. While American Psycho looks "good" on Blu-ray, it pales next to some of the
finest transfer's we've been privileged to experience since the inception of the format.
Lionsgate presents American Psycho on Blu-ray high definition with no high definition
lossless or uncompressed soundtrack option. A Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track and a DTS-HD HR 6.1
track are
included here, and this review was undertaken by incorporating the DTS mix. The music over the
open sounds fine, but it lacks that vibrancy and clarity associated with the finest of lossless
soundtracks. The film shifts from a fine classical number to the interior of a dance club with
heavy beats. Music plays an important role in the movie, and we hear such hits as Hip to Be
Square by Huey Lewis & the News and If You Don't Know Me By Now by Simply Red.
All sound fine, but the track simply lacks a crispness and perfection we've come to expect from
the better sounding releases. Dialogue, however, is reproduced excellently. Bateman's
encyclopedic-like declarations sound like he's reproducing facts and articles from rote memory,
and
each syllable is clear and distinct, and the soundtrack reproduces his lines perfectly. Surround
presence is virtually nil; everything is focused in the front but with solid effect. The film's famous
chainsaw scene is incredibly loud, violent, and frightening, the audio cues emanating from the
speakers with harrowing realism and then an abrupt silence. The contrast in sound is startling,
and
encapsulates the mood of the film on the whole. Several gunshots in chapter 13 come from
every direction with a punch and presence that is surprisingly effective given the generally
reserved nature of the track, and the subwoofer makes one of its only major appearances in the
film. All in all, this is an acceptable but underwhelming presentation. In all honesty, there just
isn't much here for the soundtrack to work with, and what we hear is probably about as good as
the movie is ever likely to sound. While a lossless track would bring more clarity and definition to
the proceedings, there won't be any kind of miraculous new sounds that become unearthed with
the higher definition, unless a sound engineer tinkers with the track. Listen with confidence
here.
This Blu-ray edition of American Psycho offers a decent selection of supplements. Two
commentary tracks are the highlight, the first featuring director and co-writer Mary Harron. Harron
seems a bit shy and reserved but provides the requisite information for each scene. Her comments
are focused and to the point, and worth listening to. Track number two features co-writer and actor
Guinevere Turner. Much of the basic information is superfluous, but details and stories differ thanks
to the alternate perspective. Harron's track is a bit stronger, but both are worthy investments of
your time if you loved the film. The 80s: Downtown (1080i, 31:46) is next. This piece
features a bevy of participants sharing their thoughts on the decade. Five deleted scenes (1080i,
12:19) with optional commentary by Mary Harron and brief interview clips with the cast are next,
and the special features are concluded by 1080p trailers for Crank (no Lionsgate
disc would be complete without this preview for Crank), The Descent, and Saw III.
American Psycho is a fascinating character study. This is one of those films that is hard to
review because it is so captivating that you find yourself so drawn into the story that you forget
you're reviewing and taking notes (the first such occurrence of the phenomenon came as Bateman
shares with us his daily grooming routine). Several times I had to shake myself out of a trance and
remember to take notes, and write out thoughts much like these. Christian Bale's performance is
perfect, and the film's disturbing themes with a humorous twist make it well worth watching. An
earlier Lionsgate release, the disc features no lossless soundtrack and decent, but not great, video
quality. Supplements are average but informative. Overall, this is a great movie on a mediocre
Blu-ray disc, but it's worth owning nevertheless. Recommended, especially considering Lionsgate's
aggressive pricing on their older titles.
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