American Psycho Ending Clarified: Paul Allen's Real Situation and Amount Of Loss
The ending of American Psycho is hotly contested, leaving viewers wondering how much of Patrick Bateman's murderous escapades were actual and how much resulted from his tormented mind. The last scene of the movie purposefully leaves uncertainty so that the viewers may consider its disturbing events and apparently contradictory incidents.
What happens at the ending of American Psycho?
The last scene of the movie depends on the dubious chronology of events. After his confession to his attorney, Patrick Bateman wakes up and promptly makes his way to Paul Allen's apartment, meant to tidy the scene of his alleged murder. When he arrives, though, he discovers the apartment empty and is informed by a realtor there is no "Paul Allen".
Bateman later runs across his colleagues at a lunch meeting, including his attorney, who writes off his confession as a joke and misidentifies him for someone else. The lawyer even remarks on Bateman's being too "square" to have carried out the crimes, so adding to the uncertainty about Bateman's actual nature.
The Filmmakers Explained American Psycho's Ending
Director Mary Harron has made clear that the ending does not suggest Bateman's actions were all fantasy. Although the film's uncertainty was deliberate, Harron argues Bateman is a serial killer and the ending captures the reality of his crimes.
Harron underlines Bateman's rich background and social level would probably protect him from prosecution, so enabling him to avoid responsibility for his acts. Harron's point of view is shared by co-writer Guinevere Turner, who notes in her ending the contrast between Bateman's fantasy world and the terrible reality of his crimes.
Turner notes that Bateman's progressively distorted view of reality as the movie goes on, so explaining the muckiness of the ending to his mental state. She says that Bateman's mind's murders are probably less glamorous and more messy than those he imagines, so further erasing the boundaries between reality and fantasy.
Did Patrick Bateman kill Paul Allen indeed?
The author of the book, Bret Easton Ellis, and Mary Harron both admit that the issue of whether Patrick killed Paul Allen is purposefully left unresolved. The film's main ideas are reinforced by the vague character of the ending, which emphasizes the amoral character of Wall Street and the impunity enjoyed by its rich elite.
Social faux pas are more severe in Bateman's world than causing damage to others; they imply that those close to him might have missed or discounted his actions. The last scene of the movie suggests that Patrick might have carried out the murder without thinking about it, underlining even more the detachment and apathy that rule his social circle.
Jared Leto's American Psycho Reactions Were Real
The legendary American Psycho scene featuring Jared Leto was evidence of the movie's realism-oriented dedication. Rehearsed without Leto's knowledge, Bateman's horrific murder of Paul Allen allowed for a real reaction of surprise and terror when Bale, swinging an ax, lunged at Leto in the last take.
Captured exactly on camera, this unscripted moment gives the movie more authenticity and helps viewers to really enter Patrick Bateman's unsettling and dark world.
How Real Is American Psycho?
Harron has voiced annoyance at interpretations implying the whole movie is a creation of Bateman's imagination, but the film's ambiguity lets one speculate. This view is supported by Paul Allen's absence and the apparent lack of inquiry on Bateman's activities.
But the film's central concerns of wealth, power, and impunity imply that those in Bateman's social circle could overlook or pardon even his most outrageous behavior. Therefore, one can consider the ending of the movie as a mirror of the actual effects, or lack thereof, for people who work inside a system that upholds the rich and strong.
Why Would Nobody Value Patrick Bateman's Confessions?
The last scene of the movie emphasizes Bateman's world's moral bankruptcy, in which wealth and success rule over moral considerations. Bateman's colleagues' casual rejection of his confessions reveals the avarice and self-interest that permeate his social circle.
One could consider Bateman's "madness" as a result of his natural evil seen in his line of work. His associates, on the other hand, stick to their own comfortable illusions and refuse to face the harsher reality of their environment, so choosing to overlook these unsettling disclosures.
It was all in Patrick's head: theories explained
Harron insists that Bateman's crimes are real, but the film's uncertain quality fits ideas implying that his murderous actions were only a result of his troubled mind. This view is supported by Bateman's lack of evidence linking him to the murders, the apparent incapacity of authorities to link him to the crimes, and the rejection of his confessions by people close by.
Paul Allen's Isn't Dead Theory
One fascinating hypothesis holds that Bateman killed another colleague mistakenly thinking he was Paul Allen, thus Allen is not really dead. The movie shows Bateman's regular misidentifications and his incapacity to differentiate between people—especially those in his social circle.
According to this view, Bateman's interactions with "Paul Allen" throughout the movie are really with other people, from which the viewers only see Jared Leto's character from Bateman's warped viewpoint.
American Psycho: What Exactly Means
American Psycho shows the degree to which people might be involved in ignoring the results of their actions as it investigates the moral rot of a society fixated on wealth, status, and power. The last scene of the movie emphasizes the point that those who keep a good public image can get away from responsibility for even the most horrible crimes.
Bateman's ability to fit perfectly into his social circle, despite his murderous impulses, epitribes this idea; it leaves viewers to consider the actual scope of his crimes and the capacity of people to reject reality to preserve their own comfortable illusions.
Sequel Hurts The American Psycho Ending
By clearly stating that Patrick Bateman is a serial killer, American Psycho 2, the follow-up to the first, subverts its dubious ending. Bateman killing a character in the sequel's opening scene runs counter to the original movie's implication that the degree of Bateman's crimes might still be unknown.
This clear validation of Bateman's murderous character lessens the original film's nuanced and provocative examination of wealth, power, and moral uncertainty. It finally ignores the film's deliberate uncertainty, so depriving viewers of a less interesting and less powerful ending.
