Review of American Psycho (2000) by Man With N — 13 Aug 2013

What makes American Psycho so great? Is it the biting satire or the deep character of Patrick Bateman? Spoilers are ahead as I delve into this movie. I'm going to spoil a lot.

Patrick says himself at the beginning that he just isn't there. He is a true monster and if he's doing all of this and if this is all fantasy, he's a monster in hiding. Maybe Patrick Bateman isn't Patrick Bateman. Maybe it's just a fabrication to carry out killing like he does, or, how I believe it, to carry out his killing fantasies. Someone says he someone else and maybe he's right. He can't separate himself and his fantasy self.

We saw him drop a chainsaw on the woman and then draw the aftermath on a tablecloth. Later we see the assistant flip through a lot of drawings of women getting killed. This is what leads me to believe that all of these killings are just him wanting to get rid of the people he hates out of society. Everyone is a stereotype and just wanting to better than the other. "Patrick" plays this up to fit in. They all, including "Patrick", see women as people to just have sex with or maybe even trophies. They don't like gays. They degrade a man liking another man. Then they also degrade people like women for more than sex. Yet, they try to be better than the other. "Patrick" looks at himself in a mirror when he having sex with two prostitutes. He goes through a routine in the shower. They don't like any signs of feminism in any guy, yet they have all sorts of it that just don't realize.

So, I believe that all of the killings are a part of Bateman's mind. I think the only one he really tried to pull off was maybe Paul Allen and the gay guy. He fails to kill the gay guy because he's disgusted by him. His approach was too soft and the gay guy sees it as seducing.

The big question is how is this psychopath a likable character? Well, mostly because he's the main character but there's more than that. Looking at it critically, it's fun watching him go through this emotional struggle. We like him because he solidifies the satire the movie is setting. When he's speaking, sometimes he says something and people hear different. Like "I'm into murder and executions mostly." "Do you like it?" "Well it depends. Why?" She obviously heard something different. Maybe Patrick said something different. Maybe he said it she heard differently. Maybe his fantasy self said it.

The main thing that makes me think Bateman isn't Bateman is that not only do people know he is, it's that his lawyer doesn't even think he's Bateman.

Alright, I could go on even longer if I felt like it but I'll finish up. If I were to make a top 11 favorite movies list, it would be #11. It gets a 10/10.