Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

American Psycho Blu-ray Movie Review

A disturbing portrait of a mind gone awry.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 6, 2008

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

American Psycho Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

American Psycho Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.