American Psycho is a 2000 film directed by Mary Harron, adapted for the screen by Mary Harron, and based off of the novel of the same name. This film is a cult classic, as it's dark humor, ridiculousness, bloody violence, horror film traits, and insanely quotable moments mix well with its satire and criqie of collective identity, individuality consumerism, capitalism, and yuppie culture. Bale's breakout performance in the film is absolutely phenomenal and iconic. The main themes of the film are lack of individuality, collective identity becoming personal identity, the greed and self indulgence of those in high society, and what a psychopath can get away with in a world like this. All of the men on Wall street look and act the exact same. They are interchangeable, as are the women. That's why people constantly get names mixed up in the film, and that ends up saving Bateman. Bateman only cares about other view him. He is in a constant hunger for conformity and to be seen as better, as he ends up killing Paul Allen because he had a better business card than him. He has been killing for a long time, and has been able to maintain, but starts to breakdown. The film is about how we form a collective identity, pretty much losing our individuality and personal identity. We crave attention, material wealth, conformity and to be seen as better. Bateman does. So do the others. At the end of the film he realizes that nothing including himself really matter, everyone is the same. He is so indulged in a collective identity, that his lawyer mistakes him for someone else, obliterating his confession. No one cares that he kills people, no one even notices. He can get away with anything, even if your a serial killer/psychopath. because he has sold himself a collective identity. He puts value into material things like restaurants, suits, watches, cards, and apartments. He listens to cheesy pop music because its trendy, but much more value into it, than it really holds. He views the homeless and lower classes to be less than him, he just kills them. In this type of high society, the people lose their individuality and distungishable traits, and just become greedy, power hungry, emotionless, interchangeable and unoticable nothings. The only difference between Bateman and his banker colleagues, is that he kills people. But everyone is so wrapped up in themselves and collective identity, that they dont notice. Bateman sees women as meat or objects, and men as something to be better than.At the end of the film, after his breakdown, Bateman realize that he and everyone else he knows is meaningless, interchangeable, and that he can get away with anything. He can Indulge in his murderous hunger all he wants. He presents himself in the collective identity, fitting in losing all sense of self. It will go on. He becomes more and more hungry and uncontrollable and his private life becomes integrated into his professional, and he realizes that he take it, and get away with it, there is more to take. Don' become a Patrick Bateman. He craves to stand out and be better. His view of himself is skewed by his psychosis, inflated ego and sociopatheology. His fantasy and reality become jaded, mixed, and goes insane because he can't really tell the difference. His killings all happend, but some are partial truths, or over aesthetically elaborate type chainsaw massacre killings. He so disconnected and detached from reality.
Review of American Psycho
