Michael Winterbottom directs this graphically violent thriller based on the novel by Jim Thompson. Casey Affleck stars as Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford, a pillar of the community in the small Texas town of Central City. However, Ford is not quite the upstanding citizen he appears to be, as becomes apparent after he is ordered to evict local prostitute Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba) and ends up embroiled in a torrid affair with her. When his fiance Amy (Kate Hudson) becomes suspicious, the consequences are bloody and brutal as the dark secrets of Ford's past are finally brought to light.

Bret Easton Ellis' disturbing novel is brought to the screen by Mary Harron. In 1987, twentysomething Wall Street broker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) seems to have it all: he is handsome, successful and engaged to the beautiful Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon). However, Patrick is also engaged in an affair with Courtney Rawlinson (Samantha Mathis) - his colleague's fiancée - and at night indulges in a confused orgy of drugs, pornography, prostitution and murder fantasies. When Patrick is outshone by a rival at a board meeting, he takes out his frustration by knifing a man sleeping rough in the street. This sparks off a descent into violence and madness, with Patrick embarking on a bloody and random killing spree.