American Psycho: Good God The Image is Watermarked

Though it is one of my friends' favorite films of all time, I only got around to watching 2000's American Psycho just last Friday. I must say, I really liked it as it was, a psychological thriller satirizing the yuppie scum mentality of the late nineties. On top of this it manages to blend together multiple tones and most definitely succeeds in telling an entire separate story through just its cinematography.

"Hip to be Square" is essentially Bateman's motto, and is the source of his inadequacy. He's not an original, being a mere copycat, never being 'square' enough to feel like he fits in.

The story of American Psycho is basic, essentially showing us a stressful week in the life of titular psychopath Patrick Bateman, a wealthy stockbroker who works at Pierce and Pierce brokerage firm. He's a man of routine, waking up early, following a rigorous routine of exercise, and so on before arriving at work where he and other brokers work less and trade stories and one-ups more. He's a controlling ass to his secretary, who can't seem to read his mind with dressing for work, and worse, he's frequently mistaken for other brokers, whom he appears to be functionally identical to. He's also engaged to his fiancé, but has no qualms about cheating on her or her cheating on him, especially as they barely see each other. It is through his fiancé where we learn his sole ambition, to fit in, which if his ability to be mistaken is any hint, he does all too well. He lives a life of lonely excess, living in a nice but empty apartment, getting reservations at packed five-star restaurants, casual threesomes, and wild, ecstatic murder. There appears to be little joy in his life, but there seems to be two things that he holds dear (or at least he's very fond of), and they are his music collection and put-upon secretary. The few times he appears happy (and right before he murders) is when he discusses music with others, or more talks at them about it. He likes it so much in fact that he's entirely happy to forgo sex in favor of just talking about it, which makes for some entertaining yet tense moments. His secretary is unique as one of the few people to escape his murderous tendencies, and her near (and unknowing) escape from him when they meet before dinner is probably the most tender moment in the film, as for reasons we never know know Patrick refuses to kill her and instead urges her to leave. It's a strange moment, feeling very weighty and impactful despite being essentially another Tuesday night for him. It's no mistake then that so much of the film feels somewhat cyclical and dreamlike, as it's revealed at the end to be likely a dream of Patrick's, a fantasy of killing your pet peeves that's a little more detailed than most. It's a strange film, having elements of comedy, slasher films, and procedural thrillers, but surprisingly it all works here, doubly so with the often overlapping meanings behind scenes. The business card scene is funny for sure, but it's given a sense of foreboding in second viewings once you know that the reason for a man's murder is simply because he has a better business card than Patrick's. Though all of the story happens in a dream (or does it?), American Psycho to me offered a picture of loneliness that doesn't resort to sad long looks in the distance, in a psychopathic serial killer of all things.

Patrick's friends are strange, they're visually interchangeable, but they're personally very distinct, though their interests are all the same. Jury's still out on this one.

American Psycho was interesting to watch and observe, and it managed to both aid the telling of the main story as well as tell an entirely separate one through its fantastic cinematography. Firstly, it strengthens the theme of loneliness in the film. When Patrick is not the lone person in the shot, he's often one man in a sea of similar-looking people. In this regard it's not just the camera that's aiding in this, but also the costuming and makeup as well, for truly all the men (who aren't homeless) in this film are essentially interchangeable from Bateman. He only seems to be perturbed by this when he's repeatedly mistaken for others, even 'close' friends. As a side note this film also has several iconic locations from both Chicago and New York on display, which was treat to see my Aunt's old apartment building in an establishing shot. The ending of the film, which calls the entire rest of the film into question, is hinted at several times throughout the film, and unless Patrick personally worries about something, everything goes his way. It's this principle of Patrick's confidence that leads into the cartoonish climax, as his shock at a gay man's advances seems to have rattled his sense of control, and thus the working of the dream world. I know that this may be reaching somewhat, and admittedly it doesn't necessarily apply to all circumstances (sometimes things don't work out, but the other characters don't notice), but it was something that struck me, be it a theme or just a motif. At the surface, American Psycho is a traditional film from a technical standpoint, but without flashy camera work it still manages to augment and potentially accompany the story of Patrick Bateman's rough couple of days.

Patrick Bateman: Broker, Psychopath, Music Connoisseur.

For all the gruesome happenings, American Psycho is a fun movie, at least to me it is. I found it to be a good deal more complex than I had initially believed, and there wasn't a single segment that I wasn't bored, only enthralled by. Your milage may vary though due to the graphic (both explicit and implicit) content throughout the film, and while it's definitely a film that's well worth a watch, you should probably have an eye for who you'd watch this with, due to, again, the content shown.