Self-proclaimed satirist and author Bret Easton Ellis is less than a fan of the cinematic adaptation of his novel, "American Psycho" (2000). Not besmirching the film, instead noting it’s key differences – director Mary Harron focus homed in on Ellis’ own goals but made them largely accessible for a mainstream audience, or at least the cult following it now has. In adaptation, the film’s success lies in two major aspects; its direction, and in turn the performance of Patrick Bateman, a role only Christian Bale could carry in this incarnation of the text. As time has gone on, Marron's cutting irony, and Bale’s synonymous grin, as he plunges headfirst into depravity without a second thought to his image is inspiring for actors who fear taking roles which ‘tarnish’ their image.