Film review: American Psycho
Directed by Mary Harron
Lions Gate Films
On general release and available on video
Rating: 4/4
American Pscyho is a dark comedy focusing on the life of mass murdering
yuppie Patrick Bateman. The film's
central theme is the conflict between
individuality and the demands of society.
Bateman's yuppie lifestyle requires absolute
conformity. Appearance is all important; the
right suit and shoes make or break an
individual. To ensure acceptance Bateman's
social group all dress alike. Thus clothes
become uniform, preventing expressions of
individuality and denying Bateman an identity as he is frequently mistaken for other
businessmen.
Bateman's "mask of insanity"
In Bateman's world communication is
almost impossible. The yuppies spend their
evenings in noisy bars and clubs - killing
conversation. Bateman's social group is
stupefied by valium, halcion, cocaine, and
champagne. What Bateman says is thus
often misinterpreted, leaving him cut off
from meaningful contact.
Against this tide of isolationist conform.
ity Bateman becomes dehumanized - "there
is an idea of Patrick Bateman but no real
me" - and stifled. Bateman's killings seem
like acts of rebellion and twisted expressions
of individuality - one of the first murders we
witness is of a businessman who Bateman is
repeatedly mistaken for. Bateman also
strikes back at his society's obsession with
appearance by murdering and disfiguring
beautiful young women.
But, even murderous insanity cannot
free Bateman from the meaningless con.
formity of his life. A taped confession to his
lawyer is brushed off as a practical joke. The
apartment he uses for killings is quietly
cleared up and sold by its owners. Society's
desire to generate wealth is placed above the
needs of individuals. Bateman's father is the
owner of a Wall Street bank. His murderous
attempts at individuality would unsettle the
establishment's money machine and so are
ignored - leaving Bateman to disintegrate
and take others with him.
In American Psycho we see society as the
true monster, trapping rich and poor alike
in unwanted roles and grinding individuality
away to ensure the collective "good." The
ultimate horror is that under the conformist
greed of the American dream it is
Bateman - and not his victims - with whom
we sympathise.
Alisdair McNeill, second year medical student, University of Edinburgh Medical School
Email: A.McNeill.2@sms.ed.ac.uk
studentBMJ 2000;08:435-476 December ISSN 0966-6494
