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American Psycho
This was an interesting film. It doesn't have the typical story structure, when all is said and done, and it leaves itself open for interpretation of what was going on, but I don't think that is a bad thing. It was enjoyable to watch, being nicely dark and twisted.
American Psycho seemed to be more of a character sketch peice then a typical story based film. This isn't a bad thing, but if a character sketch isn't done right, it becomes a very bad thing, very quickly. This film, however, succeeds quite nicely as a character sketch film. The look into the ramblings of the mind of the main character is done extremely well. And the dialog that he spews out, especially about music, is quite interesting to listen to.
As I said earlier, this film leaves itself open for interpretation. With the ending really not clearing up anything that has happened in the film. I tend to enjoy this technique as it allows the viewer to reflect on what he/she has just seen. And while American Psycho isn't a film that has some profound moral impact/thought to think about, it does a good job being a film that allows the viewer to think about the film and try to figure out exactly what was going on in the film, as it isn't as straight forward as it seems.
The acting in this film is good. Christian Bale does a good job in the lead role, and the supporting cast doesn't let him down. The characters seem a bit abbrasive, but that is more because that is how they are supposed to be, then because of a deficiency in the actors acting ability. Bale is definitely the star of the film, though, with his performance, of a character which wouldn't be all that easy to play.
Overall this was an enjoyable film. I can see it being a film that some people don't enjoy exceedingly, just because it isn't the traditional narrative that people are so used to, and it doesn't wrap itself up as nicely as most Hollywood films do, but I don't see that as a weakness in the film. It isn't what I would call a great film, but it is certaining interesting and enjoyable.
Overall Grade: B+
Story: B
Acting: B+
Audio/Visual: B+
This was an interesting film. It doesn't have the typical story structure, when all is said and done, and it leaves itself open for interpretation of what was going on, but I don't think that is a bad thing. It was enjoyable to watch, being nicely dark and twisted.
American Psycho seemed to be more of a character sketch peice then a typical story based film. This isn't a bad thing, but if a character sketch isn't done right, it becomes a very bad thing, very quickly. This film, however, succeeds quite nicely as a character sketch film. The look into the ramblings of the mind of the main character is done extremely well. And the dialog that he spews out, especially about music, is quite interesting to listen to.
As I said earlier, this film leaves itself open for interpretation. With the ending really not clearing up anything that has happened in the film. I tend to enjoy this technique as it allows the viewer to reflect on what he/she has just seen. And while American Psycho isn't a film that has some profound moral impact/thought to think about, it does a good job being a film that allows the viewer to think about the film and try to figure out exactly what was going on in the film, as it isn't as straight forward as it seems.
The acting in this film is good. Christian Bale does a good job in the lead role, and the supporting cast doesn't let him down. The characters seem a bit abbrasive, but that is more because that is how they are supposed to be, then because of a deficiency in the actors acting ability. Bale is definitely the star of the film, though, with his performance, of a character which wouldn't be all that easy to play.
Overall this was an enjoyable film. I can see it being a film that some people don't enjoy exceedingly, just because it isn't the traditional narrative that people are so used to, and it doesn't wrap itself up as nicely as most Hollywood films do, but I don't see that as a weakness in the film. It isn't what I would call a great film, but it is certaining interesting and enjoyable.
Overall Grade: B+
Story: B
Acting: B+
Audio/Visual: B+