American Psycho - The greatest film of the 21st century.

[TheHarbinger]

what was the meaning behind the ending where he cannot for the life of him self get arrested?

His lawyer covers up his crimes to protect Bateman's father who is the CEO of their bank. When Patrick admits to the lawyer in person that he killed Paul Allen the lawyer realizes that this idiot won't shut up about his crimes. And has to remind him again that "Paul Allen sold his apartment and moved to Europe".

Think of Patrick Bateman like Hunter Biden. Where he commits nonstop crimes but has an army of fixers to cleanse any situation.

 

[Joe Swanson]

I can recognize that it's a well made film and has some very iconic scenes, but at least for me it's a a slog to get through.

 

[Power Ranger Monster]

 

[The Cunting Death]

The Book is one of the funniest things I've ever read.

 

[Aiōn]

It's a really good movie, Christian Bale was the perfect choice for the role. Apparently the studio initially wanted to cast someone like Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt as Patrick and Mary Harron refused.

 

[Doctor of Autism]

Definitely one of the greatest movies of all time (and one of the best horror films)

One thing I really find interesting about the film is how Christian Bale based his performance as Bateman off Tom Cruise, which really tracks with how both of them act.

 

[Fastest Hand In The East]

It is a comedy though. A black comedy. Like Doctor Strangelove.

It's also commentary on the specific group of people in the specific era.
Personally I also think it can be considered a much wider commentary on the sons of elites in general- movie doesn't go into it much, I think it just mentioned in passing, but most, if not all, of the young highly-placed characters in the movie are placed there just because their fathers are powerful people. Remember the moment when secretary looks through the Patricks notebook, supposedly for work- it's just full of childish drawings of sadistic executions and rapes. All the work they ever did was returning some tapes.

 

[Crypt Kicker]

"New film adaptation. What do you think?"
"Woah, very nice. Look at that."
"Picked it up from Bret Easton Ellis."
"Good cinematography."
"That's Andrzej Sekula, and the music is by John Cale."
"That's very cool, Mary Harron."

"Now let's see Morgan J. Freeman's film"

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

My interpretation is that patrick exists in some kind of purgatory, not in the literal sense that hes dead, but perhaps a twilight zone where he has everything he could ever want but no way to actually affect the world or anyone in any meaningful sense. him killing people is really the only way he can satisfy himself anymore. kind of like how people go on killing sprees in gta when they are bored.
at the end where he gets into a shoot out with the cops and confesses to his lawyer is more of a desperate plea to the universe to acknowledge his existence. But it doesn't.
Hes stuck in ground hog day living among npc's where nothing he does actually matters or have any effect on anything, that face he makes at the end is one of existential dread now knowing this

My interpretation is that in the end it's all a larp, dude likes to imagine he is some cool powerful executioner with a bodycount rather than a closeted faggot wimp. The ending scene is him getting lost in the delusion.

Dude is stuck playing the cool manager archetype because that's expected of him, while not having the intellectual maturity of an 18 year old.

If I could remake the film for modern times, instead of male main character, it would be a womn doing the same psychopathic activities you see in videos like this:

Only with delusions of emasculating men.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[VanyaMotorbike]

How does the book compare? I really, really like the movie and Christian Bale's performance. His early work was a little too ethnic for my tastes, but when American Psycho came out in 2000, I think he really came into his own, commercially and artistically. His whole character has a profound, menacing presence, and a new sheen of consimante professionalism that really gives the film a big boost. He's been compared to Daniel Day Lewis, but I think Christian has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humour.

Spoiler: Spoiler

But really, how is the book?

The book is really good and I definitely recommend it. I wasn't a huge fan of the movie tbh and much prefer the book, but undeniably Bale was a perfect casting and his performance is so good that it enhances the book

 

[A Useless Fish]

Is the hooker rat torture in the film?

No, that scene is not in the movie. I'll echo what everyone else here in the thread is saying and urge you to watch it. It's a brilliant movie. I saw it when I was in high school, and became a bit obsessed with it. By he time I was in college I had watched the movie god knows how many times, and had bought and read the book through at leas half a dozen times. It was essentially a personality defining experience for me.

 

[ibeatmywife]

0:16

 

[Admiral Throbnelius]

Definitely one of the greatest movies of all time (and one of the best horror films)

One thing I really find interesting about the film is how Christian Bale based his performance as Bateman off Tom Cruise, which really tracks with how both of them act.

What's funny is Tom Cruise actually appears in the book as a character and Bateman meets him in an elevator.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

That film was brilliant. Dark, satirical commentary on the period and just masterfully done. I laughed way too hard at it.
American Psycho is the Joker of its time.

I nearly crashed my car laughing when Marc Maron had Bret Easton Ellis on his podcast.
Bret didn't realise the interview had started and was eating a sandwich he'd brought with him.

Marc Maron (totally earnest): "Did your butler make that for you?"
BEE: *surprised, choking noises*
"...you think I have a butler?!"

 

[Flatline]

It's also commentary on the specific group of people in the specific era.

It made being a rich banker in NYC during the 1980s look comfy, even if the profession lacks all morals and soul.

 

[Neodanthril]

the book was written by a closet homo and that is really all you need to know to understand the book, the movie, and the fans

 

[Ken Barlow]

"I used to think that the day would never come"

Bit New Order for my taste

 

[BrunoMattei]

It's Bret Easton Ellis' masterpiece and his writing really fell off after this. But Less Than Zero and Rules of Attraction come highly recommended and the same goes for the film adaptation of Rules of Attraction. The film is (IMHO) a near-perfect adaptation. I love how the film incorporated the music review chapters but, everyone and their mother will point this out, it has nothing on the violence or the recurring theme of anti-semitism/racism with the character and the entourage he surrounds himself with.

Interestingly, when Cronenberg was being tapped to direct the movie he wanted to (1) shoot in B&W, (2) it would star Leonardo DiCaprio and finally (3) Cronenberg didn't want any scenes set inside a restaurant or bar. He also wanted the movie to end with Bateman and co. dancing on top of the Twin Towers.

 

[Skylavijas]

The thing that always perplexed me is why did Bateman hesitate in killing the ginger after he expressed he was gay for him?

When I first seen it, I thought it was building up to the ginger (Luis) being the real Patrick Bateman and that the Patrick we saw, was just an invented persona, aided by the fact that Patten, Allen and Bateman look very closely alike, they could be mistaken for the same person or be seen as brothers.

And I guess them looking similar is sorta the point, to add to the credibility that the lawyer at the end could genuinely not tell people apart, but the Bateman persona could've been based off people Luis is surrounded by and who look much more confident and sharp.

I guess the theory still holds some weight, it would explain why Bateman didn't kill Luis, especially since he had no reservations about killing random homeless people, why would he in any way tolerate some pale ginger man kissing his hands, leaving him clearly disgusted? Maybe it was Luis confronting himself, with his authentic self being very grateful and infatuated with the persona, while his persona side being utterly disgusted at what kind of a gay wimp he his at heart.

It would also add context to the notebook at the end, which is filled with childish drawings of with cartoonish and unrealistic murders like... dropping a chainsaw down the stairs and miraculously hitting the woman at the bottom... and of course, that ATM demanding the death of a kitten. Whether or not any deaths were real is already debated, but with the film itself functioning as an unreliable narrator (we never had any monologues of Bateman describing the murders, only his life routine. The only exception is the confession, which may address murders that didn't happen) it does leave room to the idea that the Bateman we see may not be real. That not only the murders, but the whole persona is made up in someone's head.

It would also explain why the lawyer took Bateman's confession as some dumb joke, maybe he was actually talking to Luis and the very idea that somebody like Luis could ever commit mass murder was so ludicrous to him, he continued viewing it as some kind weird joke.

Ok, as I continue writing this, I'm beginning to realize I should've written this down sooner, I presumed that it was silly and wouldn't have much to it, but I'm actually having fun reinterpreting the movie in this way!

 

[Doctor of Autism]

For me, I take the ending as straightforward compared to the people who think everything is all in Patrick's head. While it is possible and it is realistic that someone could have elaborate murder fantasies of people they don't like.

I prefer it to be where the terrible things Patrick has done actually happened rather than being a dream or a part of an active imagination, I think at best some of it was exaggerated. It just hits harder that Patrick could do all of these heinous things yet everyone is so self-absorbed to not really give a shit, and besides outside of Paul Allen, Patrick killed people that would not really be missed in the grand scheme of society as he murdered mainly hookers and homeless people.

It also has something interesting that @TheHarbinger brought up where people would cover up Bateman's actions, out of their own self-interest while it is to not create a scandal for those more powerful than Bateman, I think the people who own the apartment building are in on it too because a murder would definitely devalue the property.