American Psycho (DVD, 2005, Uncut)

Yet another movie that I watched without any background knowledge of preparation... and without knowing what to expect, I was quite surprised and shocked as the movie progressed.

Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman - a 1980s junk-bond salesman who associates with only the most gaudy, flamboyant and superficial crowd. Bale does an excellent job portraying a chiseled, superficial salesman who takes tremendous pride in everything from his strength ("I can do 1,000 sit-ups") to the weight of his business card. Bale is as straight-faced and soulless as director Mary Harron could have asked for... and in doing so, Bale comes out looking like the ideal 1980s yuppie.

Whats behind the story though is that Bateman isn't what he seems - as strange as his fascination with money and music, Bateman turns out to be a serial killer. Rather than turning "American Psycho" into a horror movie, Mary Harron instead directs the movie into a high-speed, thrilling satire... again, not what I expected from the movie.

But, although I didn't expect anything that developed or occurred, I found it enjoyable and ultimately provocative.