Original Theme, Grasping Movie

Rating: Null/10 (4 October 2013)

In almost all films, there is symbolism, which allows a fictional story to explain a realistic theme. Using symbolism, a director can relay the message of the film without boring the audience. Mary Harron, uses "American Psycho" to show her feelings about self-indulgent businessman. Although this movie is based off a book, she certainly includes biased opinions that don't always agree with the book. Whether it is similar to the book or not, this movie has clearly been one of the more successful movies of the 21st century because of its great impact. "American Psycho" is a wonderful film because it uses a thrilling, satirical story to show the effects that greed, pride, and material gain have on men of wealth and power. "American Psycho" uses not only the character of Patrick Bateman, but also his co-workers and friends, to show the vanity of a middle-aged American businessman. They are focused entirely on their appearance and the smallest of things that represent their wealth. This is clearly shown in the scene where they are examining each other's business cards. The scene is intense, suspenseful, and overdramatic as each slowly pulls out their little white cards. It even gets to the point where Patrick Bateman breaks into a full sweat when his card is trumped by Paul Allen's card. The scene is captivating but also holds a strong theme, which makes it so powerful. "American Psycho" not only uses scenes like this to show that their narcissism forces them to dramatize little details, but it also uses scenes to show how they are oblivious to some of the biggest details of their lives.
After a violently murdering Paul Allen with an axe, Bateman drags the dead body in an overnight bag across the floor of the empty lobby, leaving a bloody track, and waves down a taxi outside. As he is throwing the bag into the back of the taxi, he is surprisingly confronted by Luis Carruthers, his flamboyant co-worker. Their short conversation is cut off when Luis stops and stares at the body bag that Bateman is loading in the trunk. Bateman's shear panic is relieved when Luis asks with awe, "Where did you get that overnight bag?" This satirical situation shows how Luis's greed completely blinds him from the fact that there is a psychotic serial killer right before his eyes. But this dull theme isn't presented in a dull way, instead it's presented in a gripping scene of suspense and with a dose of humor.
Audiences and critics might say "American Psycho" is lacking explaining of why Bateman is so psychotic or they might find it to be incredibly unrealistic. Some audiences might even find it to lack entertainment and instead just be gruesome and pointless. But to truly understand and enjoy this movie, one must have the attitude that the movie is satirical and symbolic of the everyday cocky businessman. Patrick Bateman's represents the personality of a self-fulfilling man who cares only for his own needs. The violence is intended partially to receive a humorous response as it merely represents this personality. One cannot take this movie at face value, but instead must understand the subtext of the scenes.
Connecting the idea of greed to the strong, grasping scenes in this movie is the key to its success. The audience is entertained but also receives a very informing theme: Some men are too focused on material gain that they are oblivious to many great details of their world and that some men have such selfish desire that they will do almost anything to fulfill their needs. Mary Harron does a magnificent job of creating impactful scenes that also create a plot. Ending the movie with an unanswered question of whether it is reality or fantasy allows the audience to see it more as a metaphor. "American Psycho" will always be questioned and criticized for its strange take on an ordinary situation, but it is no question that it will leave you thrilled and curious of the many people like Patrick Bateman.