He was never real, and the narrator manifested Durden’s personality in the image of who he wanted to be, deep beneath. He wants desperately to fit in with the other yuppies, but also wants to be an intelligent free-thinking individual. These are discussed in relation to diagnostic categories. However, no one really can predict whether his condition was actually the result of his high pressure, phoney work environment and the pressures of conformity in the elitist circle he found himself a part of, but the film doesn’t fail in making satirical comments about it, making sure the viewer goes home with so much more. Of course, the moment we realize that something is truly astray with the reality being portrayed on screen is when the ATM instructs Bateman to feed it a stray cat. It is the late 1980s in New York city. Bateman blankly stares into the distance while having a double scotch and delivers his now famous closing monologue in voiceover. American Psycho begins with a quote from Dante’s Inferno: “ Abandon all hope ye who enter here ” is graffitied across the side of a bank in blood-red paint. I fact I want my pain to be inflicted on others. The camera then shows us the individual in question, who is most definitely not Paul Allen — who's normally played by the recognizable Jared Leto. We already know mistaken identities are commonplace among the Pierce & Pierce elite, and the film never introduces us to any of the colleagues Bateman supposedly dined with. It makes it look like it was all in his head, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s not.”. But don't be fooled by this clever twist! More than half of what transpires (or even all of it) might just have been figments of his ripe imagination to say the least: a repressed psyche finding its way out through whatever means. That the only murders and acts of violent sadism that conspired were on the pages of Bateman’s diary, something that an unassuming Jean has to witness, might not be such an implausible theory after all. Because of the above I read into it that the narrative of American Psycho is a personal Hell for Patrick Bateman. When Bateman confronts him further, impatiently so, confessing in the first person to the murder of Paul Allen, Carnes is shook but still doesn’t believe him, stating that he had dinner with Allen just a few days ago in London. "He's there," Turner says, "he's got the kitten, but the ATM doesn't actually say that. Needless to say, what I state here is my personal take on the ending and what I took home from it, despite the director, Mary Harron clearly stating otherwise in an earlier interview. Their attention is firmly focused on acquiring material wealth, lording it over others, and snorting cocaine in club bathrooms. Sometimes, the method is varied when a killer is starting out, but Patrick is truly all over the map. Linked. Serial killers often begin their sprees with someone they know in the heat of the moment, but it's rare to go back-and-forth the way Bateman does. He begins to spiral out of control just as he makes a very frantic and nervous phone call to his assistant, Jean, one of the handful who survived their fate at Patrick’s hand when she was earlier about to be murdered by a nail gun by him. The biggest mystery in the film revolves around whether or not Patrick Bateman actually killed Paul Allen. Played by Stephen Bogaert, Patrick Bateman's lawyer has been responsible for most of the confusion surrounding the ending the American Psycho — but don't let him fool you! American Psycho (2000) Plot. Jean is the only woman in the film that Patrick shows any level of regard for, but that's not saying much: His hankering to kill her is still strong enough to make him grab his nail gun and almost kill her. All images property of their respective owners. "Are you freebasing," Bryce replies. The American Dream, the life. But c'mon man, you had one fatal flaw. But he also goes after his male coworker and an old friend — both brunettes. Needless to say, both of the films also deal with a repressed psyche and have climaxes that lead to the unmasking of that psyche. The whole reason Bateman gets away with the murder of Paul Allen is because Allen, like others in the company, doesn't even know who he is. American Psycho is filled with ironic and borderline implausible misunderstandings. The first time we meet the real Paul Allen, he mistakes Bateman for Marcus Halberstram — a mistake he never corrects. A musical scene definitely would have lent itself to the theory that the murders are all in Patrick's head, but it also might have confused the audience further. Endings, Explained Series For more on great articles on Endings, Explained Series check out our Endings, Explained Series:Series Where ‘Fight Club’ relies on hardcore commentary from an outsider, ‘American Psycho’ takes the route of a resilient, silent kind of understated satire, often wrapped up as even comic moments in an otherwise dark film, from the insider point of view of someone who is … “A big musical number, very elaborate. He treads lightly when mentioning his fiancée, for example — and this is not a guy that generally cares about people's feelings. But along with their hydrating factors, he uses products to fake his humanity. The bodies are gone, and contrary to his expectations of seeing the cops or the authorities down there, he finds a realtor tending to potential customers about the flat, who then confronts Bateman and tells him that a Paul Allen never lived here. He works by day on Wall Street, earning a fortune to complement the one he was born with. It is one of a psyche repressed by the pressures of “fitting in”, so much so that the repression, and the desires that yields become murderous. In a group discussion with Charlie Rose, American Psycho's author admitted that the book is primarily a critique of male behavior — something director Mary Harron recognized from the get go. Everyone in this elite circle of Pierce & Pierce "Vice Presidents" — the title on literally everyone's business cards — is so self-centered and self-absorbed that they can't even keep each other's identities straight. It is also certain that Bateman was a lowkey psychopath, hiding under the guise of an everyman, succumbing to the pressures of acceptance. Look closer at the deeper meaning and messages of American Psycho's ending. Most importantly, there are absolutely no redeeming qualities about Bateman. American Psycho Explained. Like the Bret Easton Ellis book that it's based on, the ending of Mary Harron's American Psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst fans for a … Maybe 40!" Head on to the next section for that. All I wanted was to be ambiguous in the way that the book was. It has been a working ideal for a whole generation of people across the world that have spent entire lifetimes chasing that ever-elusive dream. 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. Bateman could have easily invented an alternate version of Jean in his head and imagined killing her. But … Compared to various other murder scenes which come later, this one stands out as firmly grounded in reality, with nothing present to indicate that it's merely a sick fantasy. One evening early on in the film, Bateman encounters a random woman waiting to cross the road, and proceeds to creepily walk alongside her. He is twenty-seven and living his own American dream. The proper DSM-IV classification for Patrick Bateman is antisocial personality disorder, but that doesn't sound as punchy as American Psycho, hence the chosen title. However, there should be absolutely no doubt that he is truly who he says he is, and that any misidentifications by other characters are purely their own mistakes. We also already know from Detective Kimball that Allen was mistakenly identified in London by another individual, meaning the confused Carnes probably dined with someone else entirely. While having antisocial personality disorder doesn't make someone violent or "evil," Bateman doesn't try to reign in his darker tendencies. He is immediately pursued by cops in patrolling vehicles, and in a faceoff in an alley with them, he shoots and kills them too, with the shootout ending after the cars explode when Bateman fires at them. There was someone else there, I cannot remember, maybe a model — she's dead too! American Psycho (2000) Was Patrick Bateman a Wall Street serial killer or was it all in his head? As a literary offering, American Psycho found few defenders—most notably Norman Mailer, a man who had made a fine career courting controversy—but Roger Rosenblatt of the New York Times spoke for most critics when he called the book “the most loathsome offering of the season.” In the opening scene, while Bateman is having dinner with Craig McDermott, Timothy Bryce, and David Van Patten, McDermott asks, "Is that Reed Robinson over there?" The frantic events of the night come to an abrupt halt just as they conspired, as if the manhunt for somebody who shot down atleast five people in the street was miraculously called off, and we jump to the events of the next day wherein Bateman still believes that the events of last night conspired in exact absolution as shown in the film. He's losing his mind." The “collapse” begins almost right after Patrick Bateman dumps his fiancé Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon) and goes back to “return some videotapes”. The very soul of both movies, sauced up with unbridled chaos is essentially the same, although the mode of conveying the same may be different. All of the central characters are male, and many of Bateman's victims are female. His deteriorating mentality is further on display when, after firing his handgun at some police officers, their cars explode in a fiery blaze. It is a sharp comment on the homogenous nature of the very clothing these men wear, the very talk they talk and the walk they walk; even their visiting cards that were essentially designed to be the same, but ended up being pawns in a game of one-upmanship. To each listener (or viewer) trying to tune on to the same frequency, it will settle at a different point for when he/she hears it perfectly clearly. However, as I stated, the dark beauty of this is what you can take from it personally, and irrespective of the numerous theories out there, here is what I took away from the film. American Psycho is set in the male-dominated sphere of investment banking on Wall Street in the late 1980s. But he doesn't know what he wants, and it shows. Viewers of American Psycho can argue forever over whether or not all of the film's violence only takes place in Bateman's head. Harold Carnes knows far less about what's going on than you might think. However, as far as I am concerned, there is something much deeper, much more complex at play than simply mistaken identities. The first piece of evidence is when, while having dinner with the private detective investigating Paul Allen's disappearance, Bateman is surprisingly given an alibi for the night of Allen's disappearance. He also has a penchant for Valentino suits and Oliver People's glasses. There is also a Patrick Bateman, who in Harold Carnes’ eyes might be a dork, but someone who certainly appealed to Davis. It might be worth noting that the helicopter is never actually shown in the particular scene. Probably not. The ugliest violence in American Psycho usually chases the pettiest itch, like Bateman getting the worst of an Old West-style business-card quickdraw … Coming back to the film, this much is for certain that Bateman didn’t commit all of those murders (considering that you go with the second theory ruling out him committing any), and especially not Paul Allen’s and all the people in the end. Repudiating the cult of the sharp-dressed modern-day #gentleman, Ellis explained “American Psycho is a book about becoming the man you feel you have to be, the man who is cool, slick, handsome, effortlessly moving through the world, modeling suits in Esquire, having babes on his arm. Outside of the homeless man, the helpless puppy, and the rampage Bateman goes on after the ATM killing, he seems to have his homicidal agenda laid out. American psycho was directed by Marry Harron and is based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis. When an acquaintance unexpectedly comes in and inquires about the stains, Bateman nervously claims they're "cranberry... cran-apple..." but they sure look bloody. Now, there is a marked difference in what the book intended, what the director intended, and what the film presented, that has actually left behind a huge lack of clarity, but therein lies the beauty of it. Rather, he claimed he was having dinner with other colleagues... including Patrick Bateman. While some might argue that he's just figuring out what he likes, these extreme variations in both methodology and victimology often make it seem like his kills are scatterbrained delusions, rather than the premeditated acts of a serial killer. However, the director herself argues against this, and takes the blame for misleading audiences. “This is not an exit”, as the sign on the door behind Bateman in the closing scene says. Your joke was amusing. In fact, identities are mistaken constantly and in perpetuity. Decoding American Psycho Materialism and Executive Lifestyle The film is a satirical take on the self-obsessed executive lifestyle of American elites, who resort to materialistic happiness to express their high-class financial position. Some people think it was all a fantasy. Even if Bateman really is a killer, and the action does not merely take place inside his sick and twisted mind, that doesn't mean everything we see play out actually happened. People get hurt and he shows little to no remorse. The ending of American Psycho finally explained. The internet too is rife with explanations and theories, and after a brief mum period, even the makers came out with their own intentions. Pardon that wall of text. The characters are predominantly concerned with material gain and superficial appearances, traits indicative of a postmodern world in which the 'surface' reigns supreme. Look closer at the deeper meaning and messages of American Psycho‘s (2000) ending. The crass scene may very well have prevented American Psycho from becoming the cult classic it is today. He's just going nuts." My pain is constant and sharp and I do not hope for a better world for anyone. But even after admitting this, there is no catharsis. It makes it look like it was all in his head, and as far as I'm concerned, it's not.". “One thing I think is a failure on my part is people keep coming out of the film thinking that it’s all a dream, and I never intended that. Cronenberg forbade Ellis from writing scenes set in restaurants or clubs. American Psycho Ending Explained: What Really Happened? That would be, if you are not already swayed by the argument made by an ambiguous subplot within the film, implying that nobody in the white collar world actually recognised anybody by their real name, where Bateman can be Halberstram or Hamilton or Davis, McDermott can be Baxter, and Paul Allen can be Reed Robinson. He tells a model that he works mostly in "murders and executions," as opposed to "mergers and acquisitions," and she doesn't bat an eye. Even the owners of Allen's apartment are willing to dispose of a serial killer's evidence to ensure maximum profit. Thus, it's extremely likely that the real Halberstram simply mistook a different colleague for Bateman — as did Paul Allen — thus providing Allen's murderer with one ultra lucky alibi. July 17, 2020 by the Editors Leave a Comment Played by Christian Bale, the character Bateman impeccably depicts the behavior of a real psychopath. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. However, after Patrick's mental breakdown at the ATM and subsequent murder spree, he tells his lawyer that he did kill one of his exes with a nail gun. The apartment really was full of dead bodies, and Paul Allen was definitely living there before he was murdered. So I’m going to assume you’re talking about both. Bateman then steps in and says "It's not Paul Allen. While it's easy to conclude that Bateman forgot about this dinner, blacked out, or simply imagined killing Paul Allen, it's far more likely that Bateman was actually not at said dinner. This distanci… Putting two and two together, she calmly but sternly tells the confused (and lucky) Bateman that she thinks he should leave, not make any trouble, and never come back. Straight to the ending now. We first witness Bateman's disordered traits in the film's second scene, in which Bateman insults a bartender and tells her that he wants to stab her. As Davis, as Patrick Bateman or as a simple nobody, a confession about the cold-blooded murder of at least forty people, true or not, actually meant nothing. This confession has meant nothing.” Now, now. I should have left it more open ended. The Pierce & Pierce men's infatuation with trying to look the same causes the movie's many instances of mistaken identity, ultimately leading to Bateman getting away with murder. Was this all just in his head? Consider this piece of dialogue from the beginning of the film as we are just introduced to the character of Patrick Bateman. Is Christian Bale's character actually the serial killer he claims to be? The most baffling was the intended ending: A musical number atop the World Trade Center. © 2021 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. In that, everything that conspired in the film being narrated by “Patrick Bateman” might actually be just a figment of his imagination, a further extension of his murderous psyche. Seeing Carnes, he immediately confronts him asking about the message of his confession he left on Carnes’ voicemail. While it's almost impossible to come up with a definitive answer to the infinite questions posed at the end of this thrilling film, analyzing its themes, dissecting its characterization, and examining the director's statements can help unravel the truth of Bateman's muddled mind. A suspicious Jean then walks into Bateman’s office, only to open his diary and be terrified of extremely graphic, brutal, and sadistic drawings of the people, and in particular the women he had killed. It was quickly cemented as one of the most ambiguous and confusing films in cinematic history. Now stay with me, since I would want you to spot the oddity or absurdity in every line hereon, something that is so far removed from reality that it doesn’t make the slightest sense. She's transformed a novel about blood lust into a movie about men's vanity. In the two decades that have since passed, literally millions of theories have flooded the internet about the ending of the film, especially the ambiguity of it all. In fact, there are no redeeming qualities about any man in the entire film. OVERALL… It is the story of young wealthy investment banker Patrick Bateman. Thus, it's highly probable that his epic rampage wasn't quite so epic — if it even happened at all. After asking a homeless man why he doesn't get a job and taunting him relentlessly, Bateman straight up stabs him in the chest, before kicking his dog to death. How can the chainsaw-scene of “American Psycho” (2000) be explained? Still, no matter which way you spin it, whether Bateman is a killer or the audience is only watching his delusions play out on-screen, there's no question that Bateman is suffering from a very real disorder. The film is a brutal satire about the material and the impact that comes along with its pursuit. I consider the psychological constructs and the degree of truth in the finale of the film to be like an antique radio. David Cronenberg occupied the director's chair before Mary Harron, but instead of hiring a scriptwriter, he asked Bret Easton Ellis to write the script. Set in the 80s, the banker conducts his life as a materialistic yuppie during the day, but when nightfall occurs, he becomes a killing machine who is after Huey Lewis. The story's primary plot arc follows Patrick Bateman's mentality from psychopathy to full-blown psychosis. As American Psycho continued its journey from novel to feature, ... and then it ends on the top of the World Trade Center,” Ellis explained. 7. Instead, Bryce corrects him and claims it's Paul Allen. "American Psycho" has strong acting from "Christain Bale" and "Willem Dafoe". That in fact is the pining and towering achievement of ‘American Psycho’s finale, certainly more than the ambiguity of it. 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