American Psycho Class Critique

SAN JOSE, Sunshine Lyn R.
2nt October 2015

American Psycho
TRT: 60'44"

Review
Adapted from the book by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho is a movie directed by Mary Harron and was released in the year 2000.
The story revolves around a 1980s setting of a New York yuppie working in an … company names Patrick Bateman and his journey slowly descending into insanity in search to discover or to understand his own self existence and purpose.

What is the genre of the film?
It is a mix of several kinds of genre. Many scenes of these are:
Horror
Psychological
Philosophical
Mystery
What are the languages and symbols & Critique the relevance of the symbols used in the film to the entire plot of the film.

Diegesis – There are both diegetic and non- diegetic uses in the film. Most parts consist of non-diegetic properties; this is due to the narrations by Patrick Bateman himself— these narrations only appearing in the beginning, during the first significant homicide of the story and at the end of the film. The narrations take place when he announces the deeper, inner and more accurate parts of his thoughts surrounding his own existence and during other kinds of significant happenings.

Scene transitioning
During establishing shots, there are images of extreme change in setting that takes place. An example would be from the Pierce &Pierce's company building and Bateman's apartment to the slums and alleyways of New York.
Symbols
The film contains a high dosage of symbolism. Though it may be discreet, it is most present. Besides, the many kinds of symbols that plague American Psycho there are the few majors. One of these being:
Music
The music that Patrick uses, he uses to initiate a kind of mood. Even though happy, we notice that he tends to lecture his victims especially with and about music before doing something unspeakably immoral to them. Because of this, the audience is well informed that the music and the lecturing mark itself for danger. Furthermore, it's something especially mocking and used to definitely darken the atmosphere that the music was initially NOT intended for. The best example would be Huey Lewis and the News' "Hip To Be Square." In a suggestion that informs us of society's conformity and importance of trends, Patrick seems to use this kind of meaning as satirical value describing the materialism in his current setting. The meaning he draws from the song he takes quite seriously. This also describes his needs to "fit in" as he suggests in the beginning of the film.
Patrick also uses the music to mediate and calm himself whenever in public. It works as the best way to escape. The best part about this song's use for killing is when detective Kimball takes out the CD for Huey Lewis and the News. The exact same kind that Patrick listens to and acts as to haunt him for his actions.
Sociopaths
Through numerous forum researches, one in particular from PsychCentral covers a discussion on the characteristics and traits of a sociopath. It is said by user Anonymous32970 that psychopaths and sociopaths have tendencies to be cunningly deceitful and are actually quite charming. This would explain why Patrick is able to gain the trust easily over the detective Mr Kimball and the numerous amounts of women that he's murdered and abused.
Another source from Examined Existence describe a sociopath in the following quotes,


"They are easily agitated, and oftentimes nervous. While such individuals can be attached to an individual or a collective, they disregard the concept of society as a whole."

This has already been proven when Patrick does self-analysis of himself in the beginning of the film stating clearly that he is made of flesh and that there is an idea of his existence but in reality, he is not present.

"High intelligence is often seen in sociopaths, although those with low IQs can be sociopathic as well.
Sociopaths are pathological liars who have no problems telling false claims. In fact, most sociopaths can pass their way out of a lie detector test. To wit, it is impossible to get the truth out of a sociopath."

Patrick works a high-strung job in mergers and acquisitions on Wall Street and lives the luxurious life of a yuppie. Being a businessman immediately puts him in the category of men with wit as business requires a high case of intelligence. Another surety is where he is constantly able to escape from being caught with any of his crimes.

"Sociopaths have dominant personalities, meaning that they do not like to lose in any competition – big or small. They hate losing in an argument, and they will lie their way through even if their claims make no sense at all. And when it is proven that they are wrong, they will never apologize."

This is quite evident when Patrick tries to make reservations in a high-end restaurant at Dorsia. It happens more than once. Especially when he tries to gain the approval of having the best business card amongst his co-workers. He is unfortunately taken down numerous times by the people following after him and especially by Paul Allen who seems to act as the smarter and richer version of Patrick. Patrick cannot help his anger in the loss of competition and takes it out on a homeless man in an alley when heading home. The anger and competitiveness rises and eventually he goes on his killing rampage, unable to control his frenzy of lust and hostility, eventually he falls into insanity.

Critique the characters and casting
Patrick Bateman: a character that can easily be confined under the category of being completely insane and diagnosed with sociopathy. But there is more than the simplicity of being insane. It does not make up the answers for when no one believes his acts of hurt and homicide near the end of the film. The answer to the odd behaviour of people around him is because there is a high possibility of Patrick being a schizophrenic. The events that revolved around him throughout the film were just processes of images produced by his anger.
This, however, does not make him any less dangerous as these thoughts that have gathered within his mind still has a high possibility of actually happening. He is schizophrenic in a way because of his dire need to discover what or who is Patrick Bateman is. He cannot come to know how or what is real. This also provokes his split personality. As originally, the word "schizo" meant "split" or "separation". All his confusion and insanity is derived from his incapability to differ his own reality. And the kind the schizophrenia that makes things more dangerous is that he follows a very technical procedure. It is displayed by the steps of his routine in the morning when he gets ready for work; his actions being highly procedural can allow him to plan and carefully devise an actual murder. The final piece where Patrick claims to have learned nothing new is simply because his thoughts have been completely fictional therefore gaining nothing from them as he lacks the real experience of committing a crime. But even because of this he feels a great pain in not being able to experience the consequences, he is entrapped in a fake forgiveness as he says,

"—there is no catharsis. My punishes continues to elude me… and I gain no deeper knowledge of myself."

His character is carefully portrayed and well met especially with the physique and lack of empathy present in Christian Bale's facial expression. What makes this film wonderful is the accurate representation that any ordinary person has a potential of being a killer.




Critique the angle shots
Major angle shots:
Most of the scenes consist of extreme close ups when depicting strong emotions. It delivers a sense of strain or pull for the audience to be able to feel and see just how these characters act.
Extreme long shots to show travel and change of setting. Usually used in an extreme change in mood.
There is a point of view angle while the camera is handheld as the victim during a chase scene with Christie and Patrick.