Patrick Bateman's imagination. Here's why American Psycho is even better in 2022.
The film, directed by Mary Harron and written by Guinevere Turner, explores many themes such as toxic masculinity, the wealth divide, white privilege, and sexism. In many ways, these themes are more relevant today. Some movies do get better with age, and while American Psycho is very dated in of scenery, dialogue, and setting, the core themes of the film really bring to light issues that plague modern society.
The film's primary antagonist, the sycophantic financial investor Patrick Bateman, is played as an over-the-top parody of itself by Christian Bale. Bale's transformations, physical and otherwise, are cornerstones of his reputation for completely immersing himself in any role. Without this level of commitment, the film likely wouldn't have been so successful. Bateman's character is the foundation of what makes American Psycho great because of how terrifying the character is, and he becomes even more so upon a rewatch. The film spawned a flop of a sequel (that didn't include Bateman's character at all) and even inspired a musical. Here's why it's best to ignore those and revisit the original.
American Psycho Explores Toxic Masculinity
The setting of the 1990s, upper-crust New York City is the perfect background for a film about toxic masculinity. While that's not the only focal point of American Psycho, Bateman and his associates are all greasy, ingratiating financial investors who are in competition with one another to get the hottest women, the biggest promotions, and the most prestige. A whole scene is dedicated to Bateman and his colleagues comparing and analyzing each other's business cards to determine whose is the most aesthetically appealing.
Image is everything, as is referenced by an opening sequence where Bateman describes his exhaustive morning routine that incorporates special beauty treatments, exercise, and other methods of looking like he's worthy of commingling with powerful executives. Even Bateman's relationship with his fiancée, Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon), seems to be ornamental since she's young, beautiful, and comes from a good pedigree. She, like everything else in his life, reflects his status and privilege. Bateman's interior, the viewer learns, is entirely hollow.
Bateman is eventually driven to murder, first out of rage after being shown up by a colleague named Paul Allen (Jared Leto) and later on when he murders that same colleague so he can gain an advantage by, literally, snuffing out his competition. Bateman also engages in risky sex with prostitutes, who he harms physically after videotaping them to stroke his ego. He is a textbook sociopath, but the film implies that he's also the product of an environment in which men are not only encouraged to take what they want without apology but required to do so in order to be successful.
Patrick Bateman Is Worse By Today's Standards
In today's world, the #MeToo movement is focused on survivors of abuse banding together to take down this outdated, patriarchal worldview and combat oppressive, toxic masculinity. Many of the men who have been ousted by the movement are reminiscent of Bateman and his colleagues. They abuse women because they can, do whatever they need to do to climb the corporate ladder, and offer no apology for their morally bankrupt — and occasionally illegal — behaviors. While he was most certainly awful twenty years ago, he's even worse by today's standards.
Interestingly enough, while the novel was written by a man, the film was both written and directed by women. Director Mary Harron didn't shy away from exploring gender inequalities and the brutality of privileged men who think they can get away with murder. While the ending is ambiguous as to whether Patrick Bateman actually killed anyone (and got away with it), the notion that he's a legend in his own mind and able to do anything his heart desires because of his privilege speaks to his status as a timeless antagonist and a clear contender for one of the best cinematic villains, despite there being no confirmation of his bloodshed.
Idolizing Patrick Bateman Totally Misses American Psycho's Point
With true crime obsession on the rise, people often walk the dangerous tightrope between idolatry and revulsion when it comes to serial killers, and the fictional character of Patrick Bateman falls within the same category. The point of American Psycho is to view Bateman with pure disgust. The character was written to be repugnant in his toxic masculinity and cold-blooded in his actions. It's a testament to Bale's skill but also troubling that the character remains a fan favorite to this day, with merchandise and figurines of the killer still in high demand. By idolizing characters like Christian Bale's Bateman, it minimizes the monstrosity of their crimes, ultimately missing the resonant message that director Mary Harron is trying to get across.
Resurging cultural importance is often exemplified by the use of memes, and Bale has certainly undergone the meme treatment of late. But while memes can be amusing, recontextualizing Bateman as often as social media s have done in the #MeToo era serves as an unfortunate snub to the real victims of men just like Bateman. Perhaps the movie's cautionary element of society enabling and looking past destructive behaviors has become even more relevant as a result of Internet culture. Toxic masculinity is finally under a microscope, which makes American Psycho even better in this current day and age. Hopefully, this will generate some understanding as to why idolizing Bateman and others like him is dangerous and trigger a wider aversion to doing so.
