A film fan has pinpointed the ‘split second’ Christian Bale perfectly portrayed a psychopath in American Psycho.
The 49-year-old star is regularly praised for the incredible amount of effort he puts in to flawlessly pull off a role, such as dropping a staggering eight-stone and sleeping for just two hours a night to play Trevor Reznik in The Machinist or hitting the gym and following a gruelling diet and exercise regime to bulk up to play Batman in the Christopher Nolan trilogy.
And prior to these performances, Bale was already putting in the hard graft to make sure his characters were as spot-on as possible - as we can see in the 2000 flick American Psycho.
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For those who haven’t seen it, American Psycho - based on the book of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis - centres on New York City investment banker Patrick Bateman (played by Bale), who leads a double life as a prolific and violent serial killer.
Bale’s performance was widely praised by critics, with a critics consensus on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes reading: "If it falls short of the deadly satire of Bret Easton Ellis's novel, American Psycho still finds its own blend of horror and humour, thanks in part to a fittingly creepy performance by Christian Bale.”
While Bloody Disgusting insisted that the role ‘couldn't have been played by any other actor’. High praise indeed.
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Taking a deep dive into the character - and Bale’s performance - the YouTube channel Nerdstalgic shared a clip that showcases the terrifying realistic ‘split second’ that we see Bateman’s mask slip to reveal the true psychopath beneath.
In the scene, Bateman is taking some blood soaked bed sheets to the dry cleaners after another brutal murder.
While in the dry cleaners, Bateman gets into an argument with the lady who works there over his bloodied items.
But as he turns to exit, he comes face-to-face with a female colleague who, of course, has no idea about his murderous activities.
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Quickly switching up his attitude, Bateman engages in a friendly chat with his colleague. As he leaves the dry cleaners, however, there’s a split second where his face completely changes as he drops the facade of ‘nice-bloke from the office’ and reveals the true evil lurking beneath.
Summing up the scene, Nerdstalgic explains: “These moments show an acute understanding of his character, but more importantly an organic understanding of how his character would react.”
Featured Image Credit: Lions Gate FilmsTopics: Christian Bale, TV and Film, YouTube