- S: The psychological thriller aspect lets this film get away with a lot of things that feel out of place. The off-putting nature of the dialogue and
storyline is the point of the film.
- C: There's a reason why so many of these shots have been memefied to immortality.
- E: Very energetic watch, primarily as a result of Christian Bale's masterclass performance. Oddly enough, the major plot developments actually feel like lulls in the film
because Bale's performance in the subtler moments is so stellar and impossible not to enjoy.
- N: Story nails the meaninglessness of the growing sentiments of greed and self-obsession in modern culture. There is a reason why this story has begun to resonate more and more with people well after its release.
The only weakness of the story is that, particularly near the end, it feels like a big portion was skipped over/something is missing when arriving at the final scene.
- T: The film received three bonus points: one very big point for Bale's excellent performance which makes this movie so great, one for the famous business card scene, and, as odd as this may seem,
one for Bale's hairstyling. Seriously, his hair is such a noticeable element of the film that it had to have helped him get into character.
Christian Bale is so over-the-top in physicality and performance that it impossible to look away. Bale is able to create the vapid shell of a human that Bateman is through
a physical perfection and emotional extremes that are so beyond what the scene calls for. Although the film isn't perfect, I keep coming back to watch it year after year because it has some
nuggets of brilliance. This film has been memed to death by social media, but it's because Bale's performance and so many scenes are so memorable.
Number of Watches: 3