The film I have chosen is; American Psycho. Is derived from the novel of, the same name written by Bret Easton Ellis. Set in the eighties it is an insight into Patrick Bateman’s mind. He is the son of a wealthy Wall Street financer, wanting to pursue his own career with his father’s firm. He is a typical “yuppie” as he is obsessed with success, fashion, style and himself. But he is also a very different person in comparison to his other work associates and friends, as he is a clod blooded killer, who kills people out of bloodlust, when he kills a work associate of his named, Paul Allen. He doesn’t count on the victim’s girlfriend getting a police detective to investigate his peculiar disappearance, which sees Bateman slowly start to fall apart as his masquerade begins to disintegrate. As Kimble, the investigator, seems to catch Bateman off-guard and make him lose his normal cool calm persona, to make him feel uncomfortable.
The scene that first introduces Patrick/Patrick’s apartment, has him narrating talking about himself and his apartment, which perceives his attitude towards thing that they must be in the sense “perfect”, he then goes on to describe his vigorous morning cleansing routine, which is suggested that without these various, exercises, body washes, face lotions, facemasks, etc. he shows the monster inside himself, and it is a mask in a sense as it helps hide the blood lusting murdering maniac inside. In order to keep in control and feel “normal” he believes that he need to do these procedures. The lighting of his apartment is very bright and white which suggests a calm atmosphere where Bateman feels comfortable and at home, to be able to express himself and leave the stresses of his daily routine out of the way.
The costumes in the film are actual designer suits and gowns, such as Bateman’s Valentino suit that he is wearing underneath the rain coat when he kills Paul Allen with an axe; even with him being blood stained he still keeps his suave looks and still holds the controlling persona. The suits used in the movie are typical for eighties high rollers, to help make them look more stylish and sophisticate than everyone else, in the film what the people are wearing represents their social status, and if someone is wearing something seen as uncouth they are ridiculed. Patrick’s suit could be displayed as part of his personality as the dark of the suit jacket surrounds could represent the evil inside him slowly creeping around the light and goodness of Patrick’s character but it could be questioned if he ever had any goodness in his character.
Christian Bale who plays Patrick Bateman is a perfect fit for the eighties high roller character as he has a smart sophisticated look about him and he is very well spoken. He has the right proportions as the character; he plays as he is meant to be a young and healthy business man, tidy and attractive. Yet have a quirky and sadistic alter ego, he defines both sides of Bateman as he can be a calm yet disturbing business man or a mad killer, who has an odd but quirky sense humour.
The lighting of the movie is nice and bright and vibrant when it’s in a place where Patrick seems to be in control and comfortable, but dark when he’s in a place that he feels the urge to kill or control someone, this is a slightly subliminal message to the audience to ready themselves to let them partially suspect what will happen next for the character in the scene and how Bateman will act.
All of the characters in the film seem to be either part of Patrick’s clique of business men and women, trying to do better than one another constantly trying to beat one another at work or at restaurant reservations, or by being more extravagant. The other characters are just people like Jean his assistant who shows has an attraction towards Patrick or Kimble who constantly has him on edge when he’s questioning him, this so the audience question Patrick’s motives as his character seems to change when he is around these people and there is one more group of people in the film and that’s the victims which Patrick lusts to kill, or envies them because of they may do or have something better than him for instance Paul Allen can get reservations at a high end restaurant named Dorsia but every time Patrick attempts to get a reservation he is either laughed at or left feeling more envious of Paul Allen.
The film has a black comedy vibe to it throughout as Patrick makes some very disturbing but funny lines; Patrick: Ask me a question.
Model: So, what do you do?
Patrick: I'm into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly.
Model: Do you like it?
Patrick: Well, it depends. Why?
Model: Well, most guys I know who are in mergers and acquisitions really don't like it. This shows how honest Bateman will be when there is loud music playing as he knows that the model will say “mergers and acquisitions” as he think that he is better than her, this helps you get into the psyche of Patrick. After his conversation with the model he goes back to his apartment and kills her but you don’t see this it is only insinuated until you see her head in his fridge later in the film. Which is quite grotesque but funny at the same time.
Model: So, what do you do?
Patrick: I'm into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly.
Model: Do you like it?
Patrick: Well, it depends. Why?
Model: Well, most guys I know who are in mergers and acquisitions really don't like it. This shows how honest Bateman will be when there is loud music playing as he knows that the model will say “mergers and acquisitions” as he think that he is better than her, this helps you get into the psyche of Patrick. After his conversation with the model he goes back to his apartment and kills her but you don’t see this it is only insinuated until you see her head in his fridge later in the film. Which is quite grotesque but funny at the same time.
I think the film shows how obsessed eighties high rollers were with consumerism and it shows how someone like Patrick can get away with murdering people, one scene that shows this is when Patrick has just killed Paul and is dragging him away in an overnight bag and Luis is walking past as Patrick is lifting the overnight bag with Pauls body inside and he decides to ask where Patrick got the bag from and not what’s in the bag, which helps address the situation of how naïve eighties high rollers were to actually ignore Patrick’s suspicious behaviour and ask about his overnight bag because he wants to try and be better than Patrick by owning one or a better on as he and the rest of the people similar to him act.
I think the main meaning in this film is to be a black comedy and have funny but unsettling scenes, which convey how obsessed with consumerism people of the eighties were and how Patrick shouldn’t be fine to get away with the crimes he has committed and that people are too serious about trying to have the best products and the newest things, the film is also saying that people shouldn’t be motivated to murder people because they can get a better restaurant booking than another person and because their business card maybe better. The film touches on how funny it is to see people trying to beat each other to get better; clothes, apartments, etc. The film is very good a psychological thriller and black comedy, it is a very good insight into Patrick Bateman’s mind and how within everyman there is a monster inside and it all depends on what motivates the person and how they act.
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