Bale plays up psycho role

Movies do not come around very often that have the audience cheering gleefully for the clearly demented, "psychotic" main character.

American Psycho does that very thing, and along with its hysterical, satirical looks, the film manages to portray a character that will surely become as memorable as Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.

This fabulous adaption from the 1991 bestselling book tells the story of disturbed investment banker Patrick Bateman, played by current "it" boy Christian Bale. Bateman is a product of what plagues basically every American in the last century - fitting in. His troubles are taken to an extreme, leading him to murder.

It is never made quite clear exactly why Bateman has slipped into such a state of dementia, even going as far as to constantly scrub and polish his body with lotions, but his trip to the loony bin is a hilariously disturbing journey that both makes people glad and surprised it did not happen to them.

Bale is clearly doing his best work here, having been resigned to playing the wounded puppy dog who beats all odds at the end. It all goes to show that satirical films are often the best outlets for actors to exercise their acting muscles - case in point, Warren Beaty in acclaimed Bulworth.

Bale quite simply steals the show, a fact that is too bad for the ensemble characters, who seem to be just mere parts of the background. Reese Witherspoon is wasted as the high-society girlfriend, as are all of Bateman's mergers and acquisitions pals.

However, it is clear director Mary Herron knew what she was doing when she outrageously showcased Bale. Her formula works. Bale plays an over-the-top character who needs the focus of the whole film in order to have the most effect.

American Psycho is just one of those movies that has to be seen again and again to be fully understood, Patrick Bateman would have been proud.