American Psycho (film)
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 There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction—but there is no real me; only an entity, something illusory... and though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply... am not... there. -Patrick Bateman
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American Psycho is a 2000 American black comedy slasher film co-written and directed by Mary Harron, based on Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 novel of the same name. It stars Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, Guinevere Turner, Reg E. Cathey and Reese Witherspoon.
Why It's Fucking Psycho (In A Good Way)
- Great practical effects.
- Great acting especially from Christian Bale.
- Patrick Bateman is an interesting protagonist. He may be an unlikable misogynist due to how he treats women or really envious when other people have better taste than him; however, Bateman is a deranged serial killer that goes out of his way to murder people just because one, he feels like it, two, to prove that he's better than anyone, and three, to satisfy himself.
- The film is made in a way that's makes you question what is real and what was just a part of Patrick's imagination as a serial killer.
- The film becomes more deranged as it goes as it's suppose to align with Patrick's declining mental state.
- It does a nice job at mocking yuppie culture as it shows a lot of young business men look the same and worry about pointless things like the texture of business card.
- Memorable dialogue:
- I can't believe that Bryce prefers Van Patten's card to mine.
- Impressive, very nice. Now, let's look at Paul Allen's card. Look at that subtle white off-coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my god, it even has a watermark.
- Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?/Do you like Phil Collins?
- Gotta return some mixtapes.
- In '87, Huey released this, Fore, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics.But they should! Because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends; it's also a personal statement about the band itself! Hey Paul! (Paul looks at Bateman in sudden fear, then gets killed by Bateman) TRY GETTING A RESERVATION IN DORSIA NOW YOU FUCKING STUPID BASTARD! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!
- Bateman: Why isn't it possible?
- Lawyer: Its just not.
- Bateman: Why not, you stupid bastard?
- There are no more barriers to cross. All I have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem I have caused and my utter indifference toward it I have now surpassed. My pain is constant and sharp and I do not hope for a better world for anyone, in fact I want my pain to be inflicted on others. I want no one to escape, but even after admitting this there is no catharsis, my punishment continues to elude me and I gain no deeper knowledge of myself; no new knowledge can be extracted from my telling. This confession has meant nothing.
- Great cinematography.
- Some pretty disturbing moments, with the iconic, yet infamous axe scene with Bateman murdering Paul Allen.
- The songs used throughout the film reflect the character of Patrick.
- Regardless of what you think of the ending (See BQ# 2), it actually does indeed mean something.
- When Bateman confessed his crimes, the lawyer just shrugged it off as if it were some kind of unfunny joke. It's more of a subtle moment where some rich corporations will pretty much see their employees as nothing but peasants, will do anything to cover up their actions of mistreating them, or not caring if anything bad happens to them.
- Bateman's line: This confession meant nothing. actually means some redemptions can sometimes be undeserved. No matter how much you try.
Bad Qualities
- The pacing is a bit off.
- The ending isn't all that satisfying, that even the biggest fans of the movie struggle to describe if Bateman's killing spree actually happened or not.
- There are a few sides of the fandom trying to theorize the ending:
- As WIPIAGW#11 speculated: it's more on rich corporations trying to hide their work ethics and not caring on what happens to their employees. Another one of Bateman's quotes: "but there is no real me; only an entity, something illusory... and though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply... am not... there.", specifies that it does not have to be the actual body or soul to be that person, only the energy and vibe, and could be the reason why Paul Allen, one of Bateman's victims happen to be at a dinner with a lawyer, even days after his death. Some would say the lawyer had dinner with someone with the energy, look, personality of Paul Allen, but it's not actually him.
- Another side to the coin's fandom would be Bateman was always depicted as a weirdo or a loser by his colleagues, that Bateman was hallucinating or drawing pictures of him killing people he does not like.
- Although this is proven to be true in the infamous sequel, American Psycho 2 that Bateman was always a murderer.
- There are a few sides of the fandom trying to theorize the ending:
- The movie could've done a better job at characterizing Patrick.
Reception
American Psycho debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where it polarized audiences and critics; some showered the film with praise for its writing and performance from Christian Bale, others with criticism for its violent nature. Upon its theatrical release, the film received positive reviews in crucial publications, including The New York Times which called it a "mean and lean horror comedy classic". On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 70% based on 151 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "If it falls short of the deadly satire of Bret Easton Ellis's novel, American Psycho still finds its own blend of horror and humor, thanks in part to a fittingly creepy performance by Christian Bale." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D" on an A+ to F scale. It was called the “next Fight Club”, which Leto also appeared in, by the Guardian.
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