Written by John Edward Betancourt Ah, the serial killer. An enigma when it comes to popular culture and film, we seem to be utterly fascinated with these uniquely disturbing and disgusting human beings. We desire to know exactly what makes them tick, what drives them to carve up their fellow humans without an ounce of remorse. The reason for our curiosity is really quite clear, there is nothing normal about what they do. While sadly murder is a part of our society and culture, it is not commonplace to hear about a crime of passion that involved using someone's skull as a soup bowl. Their heinous acts however know no bounds to the imagination, and horror has celebrated its fair share of the serial killer. Yet their portrayal on screen has its limits. The true evil that they perform perhaps cannot be captured on film, and that might be a good thing. Yet what hurts this little niche of the genre is that we rarely get a rounded-out monster like Hannibal Lecter. We often get either an over-the-top performance, or a subdued loser that seems to pander for our pity. Yet one film managed to combine those two elements to create an incredibly disturbing monster and it is the subject of today's review; American Psycho. Meet Patrick Bateman, a man who seems to have it all. He is blessed with a fine job as an investment banker. He is engaged to a lovely and caring woman and his Central Park apartment is simply to die for. But despite the fact that Patrick is able to do what he wants whatever he wants, since his job affords him such opportunities, he often finds himself struggling with his life. It's flat out missing something, there's just no thrill to it. But Patrick has finally figured out a way to add a little excitement and purpose to his life... by indulging his darker side and committing horrific acts of murder on a nightly basis. Starring the excellent Christian Bale, American Psycho is a film that stays relevant today. The familiar themes of excess, ego and a love of the finer things in life over our humanity continue to permeate our observations of American society despite the film's 1980's setting. But those themes are merely the foundation for a concept so much more disturbing; what do we become when we are completely detached from family and true friendship? Everyone is Patrick's life is vapid, devoid of any trace of individual personality or emotion and the film hammers its point home, that in Bateman's mind the only way to find his humanity once again, is to rob it from others. What I love most about this film, however, is one simple fact. In that, we never quite know if Patrick Bateman has committed murder or not. We see hints that maybe there is something more going on with him, since the prescription pills, we only see once underline the possibility that Bateman either suffers from a mental illness or they help him cope with his consistent escape to a world where murder is more interesting than his daily life. Which is why this film stands out from other serial killer films. There is no psychological dissection of Patrick Bateman, or even proof that he is a homicidal maniac. We are merely presented with a man who is nothing more than a ghost in the regular world, but a legend in his mind, or perhaps the greatest killer to ever walk among us.
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