Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

American Psycho 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 26, 2018

Is it a sign of a major character flaw that American Psycho makes me laugh? A lot? There’s just something so deliriously gonzo about both the film’s overall sensibility and Christian Bale’s earnestly wacko characterization as up and comer Patrick Bateman that I can’t help but giggle as the film skewers mendacity, social climbing and obsession with appearance while at the same offering little vignettes involving gruesome, extremely bloody murders. American Psycho was neither the book (by Bret Easton Ellis) nor movie (co-written and directed by Mary Harran) for everyone, and even those who tend to like it, as I unabashedly do, might admit under duress that there may still be tonal imbalances that occasionally chafe. American Psycho’s 1080p Blu-ray came fairly early in the life of the format and this very site (its identification marker is a lowly number 135 in a database that now stretches to multiple thousands), and its presentation in that format, while probably at least acceptable for those “early days”, looks decidedly dated and (to my eyes, anyway) digitized. Lionsgate, which has had a somewhat odd relationship with its catalog and 4K UHD releases, has reportedly given American Psycho a new 4K scan, and so this is just the latest release that I’ve personally reviewed where the 1080p Blu-ray version and 4K UHD version are decidedly different. Lionsgate has also upped the ante on this release by providing a Dolby Atmos track (the original 1080p Blu-ray release had lackluster lossy audio as well), and has also gone the extra mile by providing both a new commentary and what looks like an archival piece (or at least cobbled together from archival interviews) documenting the property’s transfer from book to screen.

For those needing a plot summary, I refer you to my colleague Martin Liebman's American Psycho Blu-ray review of the original Blu-ray release. Note that the 1080p video score above is ported over from Marty's original review.

American Psycho 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray, and this is another release where the older 1080p Blu-ray presentation does not match the look of the 4K UHD presentation, so caveats are in order.

American Psycho is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.40:1*. This is just the latest release (including some from Lionsgate) where the 1080p Blu-ray presentation and the 4K UHD presentation are markedly different if only in part due to the fact that the 1080p Blu-ray presentations are getting pretty long in the tooth by this point. I suspect that the original Blu-ray may have been culled from a master which was perhaps dated even then, prepared for the DVD era, and thus subject to sharpening efforts that tended to make grain look pretty coarse at times. The first thing I noticed about this 4K UHD presentation is how fine the grain field looks, especially in comparison to the 1080p Blu-ray. There is most definitely grain in the presentation, though you sometimes have to press your nose to your monitor to make it out. It tends to be most noticeable against brighter backgrounds, as in the short shot of the sky and office towers at around 49:47. There may have in fact been some high frequency filtering applied here, but if so, it hasn't materially affected fine detail levels in my estimation. In fact the next thing I noticed about this 4K UHD version is the clear uptick in detail levels from the 1080p Blu-ray. Fine detail on elements like the fur collar worn by Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon), or the almost brocaded patterns on both pillows and couches belonging to Courtney (Samantha Mathis), is more nuanced and precise looking in this version. Several skewed close-ups of Patrick, where Bale's face consumes most of the corner of the frame, also provide excellent fine detail in facial features like pores (as does the final zoom into Patrick's eyes). The best uptick in detail and fine detail for me personally was the fun "runner" of business cards, where everything from embossed printing to indented printing looks virtually multi dimensional now, as do the different textures for the cards that the aspirants toward Vice President have chosen. Dolby Vision and HDR have added a few new highlights to the proceedings, but I wouldn't state that the differences are huge. There are some appealing new tinges of pink to the tablecloth seen in the opening montage, and some of the outfits worn by Evelyn and secretary Jean (Chloe Sevigny) have some subtle new highlights. A later scene in a cafe looks a bit brown when compared to the bulk of the transfer. There are a couple of moments of wobble, including the old style Lions Gate (as it was offered in those days) logo (which is also evident in the 1080p Blu-ray version), and, later, at around 13:00 at the beginning of the scene in the laundromat, in a weird little lateral jerk that I really don't see as much if at all in the 1080p Blu-ray version.

*Note: The site automatically measures the aspect ratio of our screenshots, which in this case reported 2.35:1, the aspect ratio of the 1080p Blu-ray version. A member has private messaged me to report he physically measured the 4K UHD presentation and it is in 2.40:1.

American Psycho 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

American Psycho purloins a whole host of pop and rock source cues to provide rather cheeky counterpoint to some of the goings on in the film, and the new Dolby Atmos track included on this 4K UHD release offers wonderful spaciousness for just about all the music utilized. While the engagement of the Atmos channels isn't particularly showy, the lossless surround environment is continually active and both dialogue and sound effects resonate with consistent authority. Some of the more outré effects, like the panning chainsaw in one memorable scene, have an undeniable energy in this Atmos rendering. Patrick's voiceover is anchored front and center, but the surround channels remain pretty steadily engaged with ambient environmental sounds even in some of these narrated moments. Dialogue is always presented cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

American Psycho 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the supplements detailed in Marty's American Psycho Blu- ray review have commendably been ported over to the 4K UHD disc. In addition the disc contains:

• New Commentary by Co-Writer and Director Mary Harran


• American Psycho: From Book to Screen (HD; 48:53) features a ton of archival interviews with both crew members and extraneous sorts like critics. My Oppo is reporting this as a 1080p source, but it looks upscaled.

American Psycho 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a way it may be a good thing that older (and some may feel lackluster) 1080p Blu-rays have been included in the "new, improved" 4K UHD packages of offerings like Halloween 4K and, now, American Psycho is it gives fans a clear indication of just how much things have improved over time, given both the technologies at hand and a clearer understanding of how to attain an "accurate" accounting of the original theatrical experience. This new version of American Psycho is a manifestly different viewing experience than the 1080p Blu-ray, both courtesy of increased resolution and Dolby Vision/HDR, but also due to the enveloping Dolby Atmos track. If you're a fan of the film, even if you don't want to admit how much it makes you laugh, this is a release worth checking out. Recommended.