First and foremost the movie is based on a novel which is about the insanity of consumeris. I think a key part in unlocking the meaning of american psycho is through the story of timothy brycepryce. Its an indictment of a society that values economic prosperity over any sort of. American psycho is a 2000 satirical psychological horror film cowritten and directed by mary harron, based on bret easton elliss 1991 novel of the same name. The one line in american psycho that will completely. Set in the boom and bust 1980s, the book centres around 26 year old wall street businessman patrick bateman and his dark psychotic journey of mental unstability as he tries to solve the conflict between his need to fit in and his battle against anonymity. My reading of american psycho is that most of what happens in the book is patricks fantasy. I would like to apply some of his ideas to mary harrons film american psycho 2000 in order to understand the psychotic behaviour of its protagonist, patrick bateman. In the end, bateman seemingly kills dozens of police officers, something. He works on wall street, has a pretty girlfriend, and spends most of his life in trendy restaurants and clubs. American psycho is a novel by bret easton ellis first published in 1991. I thought it was kinda odd, since my theory isnt very. American psycho ending explained by its writers mary harron. Christian bale matt ross american psycho ending patrick bateman.
At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. In the end, even when there is a literal mountain of evidence against him, no one recognizes patrick bateman, even for what he truly is a psycho. In american psycho, bret easton ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. Patrick bateman moves among the young and trendy in. The content of the movie created a good deal of controversy because of the explicit sex and violence scenes. Much like the book its based on, american psycho isnt really about patrick bateman. Ellis explained that the book was really about the dandification of the american male. Bret easton ellis made the choice to seamlessly integrate that fantasy with the real events of patricks life so that the reader has to figure out where the fantasy ends and reality begins. The bret easton ellis novel american psycho, a dark, violent satire of the me culture of ronald reagans 1980s, is certainly one of the most controversial books of.
It was really about what is going on with men now, in terms of surface narcissism. American psycho by bret easton ellis first published. At another level, the book is an exaggerated parody of sex and shopping novels. Naturally, my response was to believe that the entire movie was a confession by patrick bateman and that it was in fact. All of these events can be explained as happening inside batemans mind rather. Hunter, american psycho is largely a critique of the shallow and vicious aspects of capitalism. I was so disappointed in that book that i gave it to the library for their friends sale. Dantes inferno allegory american psycho is, on one level, a retelling of dantes inferno, in which dante is led by the ancient roman poet virgil through the everdescending circles of hell. The novel features some exceptionally graphic violence, often of a. American psycho symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. It is the story about the archetypal 80s businessman. American psycho screenwriter on patrick batemans legacy and that controversial ending.
All i wanted was to be ambiguous in the way that the book was. American psycho summary from litcharts the creators of. American psycho has a terrific plot, acting and is a satire of the lifestyle of those who lived in the 1980s. Ending explained is a recurring collection wherein we discover the finales, secrets and techniques, and themes of fascinating motion pictures and reveals, each new and previous. Differences between american psycho book vs movie page 1. Ive been known to be both a picky reader and a finicky film critic, and even i think the movie version of bret easton ellis novel, published in 1991, is faithful to the text its based on. Even after 15 years of its release, the much ambiguous ending of american psycho calls for debate amongst fans. American psycho explained there are obviously potential spoilers as it is an attempt to decipher and explain the ending of american psycho. Although, having worked for people with the same status of affluence as most of the characters in the book, i did find it a bit disconcerting to see how limitless that particular lifestyle. Look closer at the deeper meaning and messages of american psychos ending. Bret easton ellis answers critics of american psycho. Focusing on the reality of the plot detracts from getting any valuable meaning from the rest of the text.
American psycho ii is an unofficial spinoff which is not considered canon. Movie talk will someone please explain the end of american psycho to me just watched it for the first timeloved it but totally about the ending. It had been on my bookshelf for ages, but i was rather intimated by its reputation for gory violence, so i put off reading it. Reading american psycho can be disturbing at times, but the casualness with which ellis presents the graphic scenes is as horrifying as it is genius. I will always be defined by patrick bateman, says author, adding that the psychotic antihero. Patrick calls him the only interesting friend he has, hes the one whose sleeping with patricks girlfriend and hes the only one of the group who has any semblance of personality. Mary harrons american psycho is a searing satire of yuppie culture and the excess of the 1980s. Beverly hills surgeon reveals at home fix no creams needed. The american psycho quotes below are all either spoken by jean or refer to jean. Like the bret easton ellis novel that inspired it, the film leaves open the possibility that patrick.
Find all the books, read about the author, and more. American psycho author bret easton ellis has said he will always be defined by his iconic. As film adaptations of books go, the movie american psycho released in 2000 is fairly spoton. The movie also has great comedy provided by christian bale. American psycho might have seemed like a straightforward film about a psychotic serial killer. This question is listed for the movie, so i will discuss the meaning of the movie and not the novel, although the novel can be used for supportive purposes. Abandon all hope ye who enter here is graffitied across the side of a bank in bloodred paint. Jacques lacan 19011981 was a french psychoanalytical philosopher. Black tide rising book 7 by john ringo and mike massa 4. In many ways the text of american psycho is one mans ultimate series of selfies. American psycho 2000 frequently asked questions imdb.
Directed by mary harron and starring christian bale in a breakout performance, both. Whats the difference between american psycho the book and american psycho the movie. As his novel american psycho arrives in stores and death threats are delivered suggesting he should be dismembered like the victims of the. Earlier in the novel patrick and his other mergers and acquisitions friends go to a club in nyc called tunnel. The book and movie are portrayed in a stream of conscienceness na. Bateman, who relays the action of the novel, as well as his innermost thoughts. My heart broke a little when patrick bateman says this confession has meant nothing. Rather, the film aims to portray the selfindulgent and hedonistic wall street elite of 1980s new york in a. What the fuck does the end of american psycho mean. American psycho matthew gildersleeve goes to the movies with jacques lacan. Friends of mine who read the novel said it made them feel physically sick. The book ends as it began, with bateman and his colleagues at a new club on a friday night, engaging in banal conversation. American psycho, bret easton ellis american psycho is a novel, by bret easton ellis, published in 1991.
All i have in common with the uncontrollable and the insane, the vicious and the evil, all the mayhem i have caused and my. The novelists function is to keep a running tag on the progress of culture. A controversial 1991 novel written by american author bret easton ellis. The story is told in the first person by patrick bateman, a serial killer and manhattan businessman. The ending of american psycho finally explained youtube. The book opens with a quotation from dantes textabandon all hope ye who enter hereand patricks gradual descent into barbaric acts of torture, rape, and cannibalism reflects the bestial. Ring smart home security systems eero wifi stream 4k video in every room. Patrick bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s manhattan. Nothing is ever said about what happened to the bodies, but it suggests that the agent knew what happened and probably suspects that bateman was the one who killed them.
Like the bret easton ellis book that its based on, the ending of mary harrons american psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst fans for a long time. Clearly, the brilliance in the american psycho ending is not about his murders, but what it means to be recognized or taken seriously. The story is set in new york amongst the 1980s wall street boom. Look no further than bret easton elliss controversial novel american psycho.
The film adaptation of the bret easton ellis novel american psycho. American psycho is often regarded as the first truly exceptional horror movie of the 21st century. Irvine welsh american psycho is a modern classic books. The ending of american psycho finally explained looper. Home study guides american psycho american psycho summary american psycho by bret easton ellis. Spoiler alert the best explanation of the book ive heard is that bateman has lost all his money in the big crash and that the book is a set of his thoughts, distorted memories and fantasies as he goes insane as a result of going bankrupt. The movie, american psycho, is taken from the book of the same name that is written by bret easton ellis. When published in 1991, bret easton elliss american psycho caused outrage for its depictions of violence, especially towards women. Before we can talk about the ending of american psycho, we need to get one thing straight. Abandon all hope ye who enter here is scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the chemical bank near the corner of eleventh and first and is in print large enough to be seen from the backseat of the cab as it lurches forward in the traffic leaving wall street and just as timothy. American psycho by bret easton ellis books the guardian.
Its a shell game to worry about the actuality of the murders. American psycho is a novel by bret easton ellis, published in 1991. The sign seen at the end of the book simply reads this is not an exit. It is therefore, entirely possible that within this version of reality all of these things happen and for whatever reason they do not have comparable. To have the american psycho explained, one must know the plot first. I finally read bret easton ellis american psycho 1991 earlier this year. The movie is absorbing and intricate which is great to see. The reader is introduced to the novels narrator, patrick bateman, a 27yearold wall street investment banker. Set in manhattan during the wall street boom of the late 1980s, american psycho follows the life of wealthy young investment banker patrick.
American psycho begins with the words at the entrance to dantes hell, scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the chemical bank near the corner of eleventh and first. In order to understand the final scene of american psycho, its key to remember the details of. The character of jean in american psycho from litcharts. Bret easton ellis is a very, very good writer and american psycho is a beautifully controlled, careful, important novel. Observing another side of potential behavior coming from the affluent american society of consumerism is explained through c. The american psycho ending quote this is not an exit, is an indication that the film was supposed to have a good reasonable ending. Tunnel was a real club which closed in 2001, and did feature an actual tunnel as part of its interior. Because of the above i read into it that the narrative of american psycho is a personal hell for patrick bateman. As the narration progresses, events in the film get more. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Patrick bateman there are no more barriers to cross. The world of american psycho is not our world, it exists within the novel and although there are similarities between our 1980s and the 1980s of patrick bateman, they are not synonymous. The ending of american psycho explained informer fox.
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