Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 153 Ratings

  • Starring: Christian Bale
  • Summary: Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis and featuring the sounds of Huey Lewis and other classic early 80s gems, this satire set in 1980s Manhattan follows the dual life of Patrick Bateman (Bale), zealously materialistic and misogynisitc Wall Street executive by day, murdering sociopath by night.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 35
  2. Negative: 5 out of 35
  1. A lean and mean horror comedy classic.
  2. 80
    Cloaking (Bateman's) world in a hyperrealist light so sharp you could cut yourself on it, Harron keeps the violence minimal, over the top and ghoulishly funny.
  3. Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    60
    It's not a great film, but let's face it: Considering the source, this is as good as it was ever going to get.
  4. A misfiring black comedy oddly reminiscent of all those bad 1990s movies about strippers getting killed at bachelor parties.

See all 35 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 40
  2. Negative: 2 out of 40
  1. nimanm
    10
    Bale delivers one of the most interesting and brilliant characters I've ever seen on screen.
  2. First off, Christian Bale is totally excellent in this part; because I’ve seen all the Batman films before seeing this, it came as a bit of a a culture shock to see him in this particular role. But he carries it off brilliantly! I love the way his character’s narration overlay’s the images and the musical references are worked in so well. It’s a really well made film too with a pretentious cuisine and big chunky telephones taking us back to the 80’s. Having not read the book I did find some of it a little hard to follow, but I’ll add it to the reading list and give this one another look afterwards. Definitely worth a look though, if just for Bale’s performance.

    SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

    My score: 8.1/10
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  3. Christian Bale plays a character so simple, yet so complex, it's hard to understand what you're actually watching. In short, the movie's just about a man killing women. There is no great background story to why he's exactly doing this or not an ending that gives you a final conclusion. On one side, Christian Bale is perfect for this role, but somehow, at the same time, he's not. His preformance, however, is what makes this dark thriller so interresting and brutally funny, going so far it makes you wonder "How sick am I?" every time you laugh at any of the events. Expand
  4. SlyEnemy
    2
    In comparison to the book, it contains none of the subvertive text (How would it?) that is necessary for the characters and "storyline" to grip onto. Without reading between the lines, we're left with a pointless story about a pointless man doing pointless things - A film which Withnail and I did many moons ago, without the grotesque and (film wise) unnecessary gore. Expand

See all 40 User Reviews

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