Posted by Isis at 132.236.35.61 on November 19, 2001 at 15:24:25:
In Reply to: Vincent, I have to respectfully disagree. . . posted by Russbound on November 19, 2001 at 14:23:44:
I have to admit Bale's character was hysterical -- I mean who couldn't laugh at those cheesy monologues about Genesis and Whitney Houston -- but I found it PROFOUNDLY disturbing. I didn't necessarily see him as a real person, though, more like a metaphor for the empty, materially craving, shallow realities of ambitious, upwardly mobile '80s culture.
I thought Bale made fascinating choices with the character. He could have easily made him an exaggerated, obvious psycho, but I feel like he restrained from making that judgment of the character. Patrick Bates is simply a soulless, empty shell of a person; he's nothing more than the image he presents of himself. There is no real emotion in him. I find that incredibly disturbing, but that's me.
: I didn't like Christian Bale. I didn't find him that disturbing [doesn't say much about the company I surround myself with huh?] I just found his psychoticness laughable. but we can agree on one thing right? A Better Place was better than that. I just thought for a movie called American Psycho he could have been more demented.