DVD Review: American Psycho: Killer Collector's Edition
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::Movie review
One of my favorite films is Fight Club. I mention that here in a review of American Psycho because there are a lot of similarities between the two films. Both examine a state of materialism and greed that is pathological and tips into violence and aggression.
Also, both films shared similar criticisms for the amount of violence each contains. The point that was lost to many critics in both cases is that violence is not a part of each story just for the sake of itself. The message is not to celebrate violence, but rather to use violence as commentary.
American Psycho takes place in the late 1980's, when young professionals were inhumanly obsessed with image. In this world, who you are wasn’t nearly as important as what you wore, what clubs you could get into, and which restaurants would accept your reservations.
The story is about Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), who by all outward appearances is the perfect yuppie. He is attractive, dresses in the right clothes, is supremely fit, and knows the right people. However, underneath this outward image of success is the barely perceived truth that he, like all of his friends, is totally and completely unimportant.
To compensate, he and his friends act with rude abandon to everyone they encounter, especially subordinates. In one scene, Bateman looks his secretary (Chloe Sevigny) up and down before informing her that the outfit she has on is never to be worn again. Furthermore, she should wear heels to show off her legs. It is a desperate grab for power in a social class where it doesn’t really exist.
Knowing their behavior is reprehensible, Bateman and his friends revel in it. Their goal is to push the boundaries as far as they will go in an effort to one-up each other. All the while, they remain oblivious to how shallow and meaningless their lives really are. All except for Bateman, that is, who harbors a seething cauldron of hate within him.
Even as he recites his daily ritual of self-beautification, there is a tone of irony and loathing within Bateman's voice. On the one hand, he is obsessed with impressing his peers, and even out-doing them whenever he can. On the other, he knows that his life is ridiculous and he is desperate for something more meaningful. One moment, while sitting at dinner with friends, he recites the Important Issues of the day that they should all be concerned with, all the while, his tone sounds at once condescending and slightly bemused by the words coming out of his own mouth. The next moment, while comparing equally uninspired business cards, he works himself up into a murderous rage over the fact that his own card might not be perceived as the best.
What this quiet desperation leads to is homicide. Bateman finds the meaning of life with an ax - buried in the head of a colleague who can't seem to remember his name. As his normal life becomes more and more frustrating, Bateman’s twisted antics become more and more over-the-top, until he’s chasing prostitutes through apartment buildings with a chainsaw.
There might be a temptation with this sort of character to try to make him sympathetic in some way so that we can begin to like him. Director Mary Harron and Christian Bale specifically avoid that, however, and Bateman remains despicable and therefore fascinating. He virtually no redeeming qualities, and yet we find ourselves quietly cheering the twisted, brutal, yet darkly funny manner in which he lashes out at the culture of excess.
American Psycho only begins to unravel in the last act, when Bateman’s antics have become so outlandish that there is no reasonable means for him to continue. And yet, continue he does until the film is forced to slap us with an ending that is ambiguously abrupt. Still, it’s possible to overcome this shortcoming and enjoy the film’s satire. I don't think this one reached quite the same level as Fight Club, but I did enjoy it.
::Video
Overall picture quality is decent, with good colors and contrasts. I did notice a few instances of dirt and speckles in this transfer, as well as a small amount of digital noise here an there (particularly during the stark white opening credits and some scenes inside Bateman’s white apartment). Also, the image was slightly softer than I would have liked and there were hints of edge enhancement here and there. Not a terrible transfer, but also not a bad one.
::Audio
The sound mix is bold and vibrant, making surprisingly good use of the entire sound stage for what is otherwise a fairly low-budget production. The 80’s music pounds out some very deep bass and the chainsaw scene is almost a stunning sonic assault. None of this, however, downs out the dialog, which always remains crisp and locked to the center stage.
::Special Features
Updating a previous bare-bones release, this “killer collection” of American Psycho offers up a rich array of extras. However, I can’t help but to think that making this a 2-disc edition might have allowed for less compression, and therefore better quality, on the video side of this disc.
The special features open up with two separate commentary tracks. The first is by screenwriter, director Mary Harron, and the second is by actress, screenwriter Guinevere Turner, who also plays the character of Elizabeth in the film. I enjoyed both of these tracks (although, admittedly, I thought Guinevere's was just a bit more candid, and therefore that much more entertaining), and particularly liked the comparisons both women drew to the book the film is based on. However, I couldn’t help but think that having two separate tracks was rather useless. These two women are friends and have worked together enough that I imagine a single track featuring the both of them would have been far more entertaining (not to mention that it would also save a bit on disc space).
Next up is the roughly 45 minute American Psycho: From Book to Screen interview feature, that is broken up into three sections and chronicles the adaptation of the book into a film fairly in-depth. Although the format of talking head interviews can get a bit dry, especially when running for nearly 45 minutes, I found this feature to be fascinatingly candid. It even honestly discusses the near collapse of the film when Leonardo DiCaprio became briefly attached to it, prompting director Mary Harron to leave the project.
The 80’s Downtown runs just over a half hour and is, again, a talking head interview feature, this time focusing on the culture of the 80’s. It’s an interesting retrospective of the decade that provides the backdrop for this film.
A set of Deleted Scenes are offered up with option commentary by Mary Harron. Interestingly, these scenes are also introduced by brief comments from various members of the cast, including Willem Dafoe, that were presumably shot on the set during production.
Finishing things off are a series of trailers for both American Psycho and other Lions Gate DVDs.
::Bottom Line
In all fairness, American Psycho is not a film for everyone. In the same way that Fight Club was widely misunderstood and criticized, this film is equally open to varied interpretations. Even though it is a social satire, make no mistake in realizing that this is also a brutal, violent film. Still, for those who are able to look beyond the gallons of blood, there is a message here about ridiculousness of a society based on materialism and the absurdities of men who cease to compete on a physical level, and instead assign status based upon tans and business cards.
Buy American Psycho at Amazon.com
| Movie |  |
3.5 / 5 |
| Video | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Audio | |
4 / 5 |
| Extras | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | 0 / 5 | |
| American Psycho, as the title might imply, contains nothing whatsoever for the family. This is an adult film, through and through -- and the unrated version is even more so. Keep the kids far away. | ||
| Overall | |
3.5 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2006
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Lions Gate Home Video
Year of Theatrical Release:
2000
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
102 minutes
Director:
Mary Harron
Stars:
Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Chloe Sevigny, Samantha Mathis
MPAA Rating:
Unrated
Disc Supplements:
- Commentary with writer / director Mary Harron
- Commetnary with writer / actress Guinevere Turner
- American Psycho: From Book to Screen feature
- The 80's Downtown feature
- Deleted Scenes
- Trailers
