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Based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel, this black
comedy/horror film takes place in the 80s and focuses on a morally and emotionally
bankrupt broker turned serial killer played by Christian Bale. Also with Willem Dafoe,
Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, Chloe Sevigny, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas,
Guinevere Turner, Matt Ross, William Sage and Cara Seymour; directed by Mary Harron. [1:37]
SEX/NUDITY 10 - Many instances of sexual innuendo (including references to
fellatio) and a couple of kisses. A man tells a woman to perform cunnilingus on another
(we don't see this happen), then we see them involved in a ménage à trois with lots of
thrusting and moaning (all are nude; we see the women's bare breasts and buttocks and
possibly see full-frontal male nudity -- shadows cover most of his groin area); we see
them lying in bed together later. A man thrusts on top of one woman, then thrusts on top
of a woman lying next to her underneath a sheet (we one of the women's bare buttocks as
she leaves the bed). A man watches a pornographic movie showing two topless women kissing,
thrusting and moaning; also, a man watches two clothed women holding and rubbing each
other. A man in an open shirt thrusts and moans on top of woman wearing a slip. A man
watches a woman bathe (part of her bare breast is visible) and tells her to clean her
genitals. A man kisses another's hand, runs his finger over his lips and confesses his
feelings for him (nothing else happens). A woman wearing a bra and thong underwear dances
suggestively in front of a woman and a man. We see a nude man chasing after a woman
(shadows cover his groin area but his bare buttocks are visible), a man's bare backside as
he's showering, the side of a nude man lying in a tanning bed (some pubic hair is
visible), a man in his underwear for awhile, several women in cleavage-revealing tops, a
videotape cover featuring a scantily clad woman, a woman wearing a slip, many
illustrations of nude women, and two nude female corpses in plastic bags (their breasts
are somewhat visible).
VIOLENCE/GORE 9 - A man repeatedly hits a person with an axe (we don't see
the impact), causing lots of blood to spray and cover his face; we see blood pooling on
the floor and also see the corpse lying on the floor (only its legs are visible). A bloody
man chases after someone with a chainsaw and drops it down a stairwell as the person runs
down the steps; we then see the corpse lying in a pool of blood. As a man is having
intercourse with a woman underneath sheets, we hear her scream, see blood seep through the
sheet, then see his bloody mouth and face. We hear squishy noises as a man repeatedly
stabs someone in the stomach (no blood is visible). A man shoots several people (all fall
to the ground; one of the victims has a small bloody patch on her clothing). A man points
a nail gun at the back of someone's head and also puts his hands around a man's neck as if
he were going to strangle him (but he doesn't). A man grabs a woman's leg and bites her
calf, then she kicks him in the face. Gunfire is exchanged in one scene; a man shoots a
couple of cars and they explode. A man kicks a dog several times (we hear it yelping) and
holds a gun to a kitten. A woman discovers (and we also see) several very bloody corpses
throughout an apartment; we also see a woman's head in a plastic bag in a freezer. A man
drags a bag (presumably holding a corpse) through a building and puts it in a car trunk.
We see a woman with a bloody nose (it's implied a man has harmed them in some way). Blood
appears to be dripping past the camera, but it turns out to be some type of sauce; we also
see a bloody sheet and some bloody walls in an apartment. A man draws a picture of a woman
with a chainsaw sticking out of her back; also, we see many drawings of murdered,
dismembered women in a man's notebook. A man admits he has killed lots of people and says
he's eaten some of their brains. Some verbal threatening. Twice, we hear a man urinating.
PROFANITY 8 - About 28 F-words, several anatomical references, a few
scatological references, a few mild obscenities and many insults. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Murder, the 80s, investment brokers, wealth, greed, misogyny,
narcissism, prostitution, cheating, drug abuse (mostly implied, but in one scene we see
two men snorting cocaine), wanting to fit in, numbness, rage, jealousy.
MESSAGE - Narcissism numbs the senses and detaches one from reality; some
use (or imagine) homicide as a means to reconnect with their emotions and their reality.
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