5 Supposedly Unfilmable Novels That Became Awesome Movies

1. American Psycho

americanPsycho Brett Easton Ellis' key work was famous for its astonishing brutality and scenes of horrific uber-violence. Passing some of the more stomach-churning scenes past the censors was always going to be a no-go, so how to turn American Psycho into an effective film without losing any of the power of the novel was always going to be a difficult task. Mary Harron proved herself to be up to the task. While hers is a literal take on the events of the book, with the vast majority of the screenplay coming straight from the narrative, she doesn't avoid making Patrick Bateman seem utterly monsterous, while retaining some of the inherent jet-black humour of Ellis' best work. Christian Bale proved himself to be a major league actor with this performance, paving the way to Batman with a fantastically measured bundle of tics, nuances and outright hysteria. While some of Bateman's worst excesses were never going to appear on screen, he certainly captures the creepiness and amorality that the world's deadliest Huey Lewis fan radiates. As ever, if you feel that I've missed out a favourite of yours, chip in on the comments board or let me know on Twitter, @BarryMarshall81.
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Contributor

I am a freelance writer, currently residing in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. I was raised by wolves in the woodlands of Northumberland, but am still posher than Colin Firth having dinner with The Queen. I write all of my pieces by swallowing a cocktail of scrabble tiles and vodka, then regurgitating them over my jotter. Hope this explains the typos.