American Psycho

A closer look at the story

Patrick Bateman is young, handsome and rich; he is an executive at a New York investment bank and, on the surface, leads an ordinary life of privilege. Beneath that immaculate surface, though, lies a darkness no one would suspect: Bateman is hiding a psychopathic second self from his friends and co-workers, one that sinks ever deeper into irrational and savage fantasies. Adapted by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner from Bret Easton Ellis's novel and directed by Harron, the 102-minute 2000 film stars Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas and Chloë Sevigny in a disturbing, darkly comic thriller.