American psycho end explained

The American Psycho ending explained little and makes a point of leaving its events ambiguous during the discomfiting, blackly comic finale, demystifying none of its strange and seemingly contradictory occurrences.

Bret Easton Ellis's opus American Psycho is a disturbed satire of wealth, greed and the Reaganite s and all they stood for — including the ear-splitting pop of Phil Collins and Huey Lewis. The film, like the book, focuses on a stockbroker with a penchant for serial killing — the now iconically infamous Patrick Bateman. In Mary Harron's adaptation of the controversial novel, Bateman is wholly embodied by Christian Bale in a star-making performance that stays faithful to Ellis's writing. Bateman begins his killing spree after his pride is wounded when he finds out Paul Allen Jared Leto , a colleague and rival, has a better quality business card than he does. His first victim is a homeless man and his dog before his egomania is wounded once again by Allen who mistakes him for another colleague. His fragile masculinity pushed beyond the pale, Bateman elaborately murders Allen in his own apartment while listening to Huey Lewis and the News before conducting a ruse that makes it look as if his fellow banker had flown to London.

American psycho end explained

The ending of the black comedy horror film American Psycho has been the subject of many heated debates among cinephiles. Directed by Mary Harron and based on Bret Easton Ellis 's novel of the same name, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman Christian Bale , a wealthy New York City investment banking executive by day and a psychopathic serial killer with an eclectic music collection by night. After going on a murderous rampage over the course of the movie, things start to take a strange turn when Patrick stops at an ATM that has an unusual request: "Feed me a stray cat. In New York City in , a handsome, young urban professional, Patrick Bateman Christian Bale , lives a second life as a gruesome serial killer by night. This is a biting, wry comedy examining the elements that make a man a monster. Up until this point in the film, we can suspend our disbelief that Patrick is somehow getting away with his brutal crimes scot-free — American Psycho is a satire after all. But from the moment Patrick scoops a stray kitten off the ground, prepared to shove it in the slot, the film starts to take a turn that sparks the question of just how much of Patrick's crimes up to this point have actually occurred. The story is told from Patrick's perspective , and Patrick quickly becomes an unreliable narrator in these crucial last 30 minutes of the film. As he holds the poor, unsuspecting kitten up to the ATM slot, a passerby, justifiably horrified, demands to know what he is doing. Without a moment of hesitation, Patrick shoots the woman and takes off, the cops suddenly hot on his heels. He finds himself in an alley blocked off by cops, and in a sudden shootout, Patrick somehow manages to take down a few cops and blow up a cop car. Realizing his mistake, he kills the security guard and the custodian before bursting into the — strikingly identical — correct building, sweating from nerves and physical exertion, and signs in at the front desk. Up in his office, Patrick is in a panic. He calls his lawyer Harold Stephen Bogaert and confesses to his crimes in a state of hysteria , weeping and laughing to Harold's answering machine. He tells him he has killed somewhere between 20 and 40 people , but he's lost count.

The film was every bit as controversial as Ellis' novel — little surprise when Ellis himself considered the literary Bateman's descent into depravity and true madness too shocking for cinema.

Patrick Bateman Christian Bale is a New York City yuppie that moonlights as a serial killer, but did he actually kill people? How much of the movie takes place in his unhinged mind? Upon its release, it was derided by many critics as being misogynistic, while other critics went in the opposite direction and claimed that the movie was sexist towards men. Similar to the novel, the ending is infamously ambiguous, leaving us to wonder what actually happened throughout the movie. While both explanations are valid, it is ultimately up to the viewer to decide what really happened throughout the movie.

It was quickly cemented as one of the most ambiguous and confusing films in cinematic history. While initially appearing straightforward, the movie intentionally unravels at the end, making plenty of people wonder whether or not Patrick Bateman's murders even took place. Did Bateman really kill Paul Allen, or did his rival move to London? What's the deal with Allen's apartment, and why does Bateman's lawyer mistake him for someone else? Is Christian Bale's character actually the serial killer he claims to be? Was this all just in his head? 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. Whether this movie depicts a deeply troubled man working at a New York City investment firm or puts a homicidal spin on the term " Wolf of Wall Street ," this is everything you need to know about American Psycho 's confusing conclusion. Before we can talk about the ending of American Psycho , we need to get one thing straight: The term psychopath isn't a clinical diagnosis.

American psycho end explained

The ending of the black comedy horror film American Psycho has been the subject of many heated debates among cinephiles. Directed by Mary Harron and based on Bret Easton Ellis 's novel of the same name, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman Christian Bale , a wealthy New York City investment banking executive by day and a psychopathic serial killer with an eclectic music collection by night. After going on a murderous rampage over the course of the movie, things start to take a strange turn when Patrick stops at an ATM that has an unusual request: "Feed me a stray cat. In New York City in , a handsome, young urban professional, Patrick Bateman Christian Bale , lives a second life as a gruesome serial killer by night. This is a biting, wry comedy examining the elements that make a man a monster.

Axes b&q

The carnage he causes is a direct example of the American Psycho explained metaphor — violence as a stand-in for corporate greed. While the ending may seem to be underwhelming for audiences because Patrick never goes to jail for his crimes, he is still forced to face the guilt of what he's done, being denied the catharsis that he craves so desperately. Over the years, many have sought to explain the ending of the film and who better to ask than director Mary Harron. Something, some people have even suggested, better than the book itself. Instead, the movie gives us an unsympathetic view of his day-to-day life, giving us the power to look at him without bias. Confused, Bateman returns to his friends who are musing over whether Ronald Reagan is a harmless old man or a hidden psychopath before discussing their dinner reservations. It makes it look like it was all in his head, and as far as I'm concerned, it's not. This is a biting, wry comedy examining the elements that make a man a monster. This is part of the reason why the "it was all a dream" trope took hold as believing that someone could commit such heinous crimes without any punishment whatsoever seems so unrealistic and unbelievable that some audience members find that this is the easiest way to explain the film's events. No new knowledge can be extracted from my telling. When he asks if this is Paul Allen's place, she looks at him with something akin to suspicion and tells him he's mistaken, and that he should leave and never come back. Sort of. Bateman's father could also be one of these people, paying off Carnes to act as if nothing happened to protect his and his son's name. Sitting down with GQ , Bale discussed some of his most prolific acting roles, and the topic of Patrick Bateman came up. I want no one to escape, but even after admitting this, there is no catharsis.

American Psycho is a classic dark comedy thriller starring Christian Bale in one of his most intense transformations as Patrick Batman, a young professional who also happens to be a serial killer with some rather dark tastes. American Psycho has been subject to universal acclaim for its portrayal of yuppie culture and consumerism, earning a cult following.

But unlike his counterparts, Patrick understands what he's been doing was wrong and that he should be punished for all his crimes, but as the quote states above, it doesn't matter if he confesses or understands the semantics of his wrongdoings. As the American Psycho ending explained Bateman's crimes, he finally confesses everything to his lawyer twice — once via voicemail, and once in person , only for the lawyer to inform him Paul Allen isn't dead, but how is Paul Allen alive in American Psycho's ending remains a question. Both filmmakers agree that the ending did happen in real life, and Bateman won't be prosecuted for his crimes based on his affluence and high-society status. Get exclusive film newsletters from our award-winning editorial team Sign up to get alerts for movie news, reviews and recommendations Email address Sign Up. Like I said, I don't think there's really a wrong answer. Sadly, it seems that American Psycho explained Patrick Bateman's psychotic nihilism as endearing by some incredibly lost individuals — an aspiration, rather than a warning. Directed by Mary Harron and based on Bret Easton Ellis 's novel of the same name, American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman Christian Bale , a wealthy New York City investment banking executive by day and a psychopathic serial killer with an eclectic music collection by night. Let's get into it. That's why nobody believes Patrick's confession, as Paul Allen is still alive, and everybody is too self-obsessed to notice Paul Allen is missing or even notice his existence. Meanwhile, back at Bateman's office, Jean comes upon Bateman's journal which is full of grisly drawings of his various victims. By night, he's a ruthless serial killer. While director Mary Harron has adamantly refused that the American Psycho ending explained it as being all in Patrick Bateman's head, there's enough ambiguity behind the events of the story to suggest otherwise. He is the embodiment of success at the expense of everything and everyone around him. Bateman represents the amorphous upper class that can get away with murder.