American Psycho (2000) Ending Explained – Does Bateman actually murder all those people?

American Psycho (2000) Plot Synopsis

American Psycho is a psychological suspense film that provokes equal amounts of fear and laughter. The book written by Bret Easton Ellis that has the same title was the source of inspiration for the film which is a sharp comedy of American values and morals.

Stars such as Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon are part of the film’s impressive ensemble. A psychological battle that is visually visible is seen throughout the film that is enjoyable to watch.

The film has many unforgettable scenes in the film, such as the character’s love for music, his constant reasons for re-recordings of videos, and his commentary on the show that gives it the cult popularity it deserves.

The satire of this film is excellent. It is also shocking as well as violent and disgusting. The film captures the societal demands on fortune and accuracy during the 80s. It’s clearly done through an original exploration of what drives and eventually causes us to fall. How does this story conclude? Let’s look at it more closely:

Which themes run through the movie?

It is the American Dream and that style of thinking has been an operating model for an overwhelming majority of people. They have dedicated the entirety of their life to the dream.

Similar to any self-serving model, some have been successful in achieving their goals, while others have not succeeded in doing the same. But, if there’s profit, or more specifically the appearance of growth, there will undoubtedly there will be opposition. What better way to communicate this than by using the most well-known creative medium, film?

After decades of being celebrated after being a cult phenomenon, the grand American dream was shattered and broken in movies of the 1990s particularly. In the end, the idea that unifies all in this is the truth of illusions superficial, as well as an acknowledgment of our current society’s acceptance of what is normal. American Psycho brilliantly exemplifies this concept.

The film makes an interesting decision by presenting the subject from the insider’s viewpoint that of a person who is enmeshed within the company and striving to realize his goal. The psychological thriller employs an uncompromising, silent manner of subtle humor frequently interspersed with humorous situations within the generally dark and somber tone.

Naturally, the film examines the subconscious of a person who is kept hidden and ends with a resolution that leads to the revealing of the unconscious.

What is the reason why Bateman shoots at the police?

Just a few minutes when Patrick Bateman breaks up with Evelyn and returns to retrieve videos and then in the evening when Bateman utilizes an ATM to withdraw money and at some point, the machine demands that he feed a stray cat.

He’s about to start shooting shots at the cat who magically is right before him, but is interrupted by an observer who is watching, and Bateman eventually shoots her down in a series of shots. Bateman is immediately pursued by police officers. In an altercation between them in an alleyway, he shoots them, which leads to the deaths of both officers.

The gun battle ends when police vehicles explode as Bateman keeps firing at the police vehicles. Then Bateman appears to be gazing at his weapon, before sprinting away. It’s probably an act of satire. A janitor gets killed as well as a security guard in the rush to escape after he arrives at the wrong office compound in his quest to reach his job.

Why does Bateman admit to his crimes?

In the event that a police car is following him and a light is shining through the office’s window, which is strikingly similar to the workplace He frantically phones his defense attorney and confesses to the murders he committed in a detailed manner.

It is odd that he’s not able to determine the number of people he killed during his violent rant throughout the discussion, and he is constantly shifting between wild speculations ranging between 5 and 40.

The chaotic events that took place in the evening abruptly come to an end at the exact moment they came together as if the hunt operation to find the person who shot at least five people on the sidewalk was mysteriously canceled. We then move to the next day’s events in which Bateman remains convinced that the night before’s incident occurred exactly as depicted in the film.

What does Bateman find in Allen’s apartment?

The next morning, Bateman heads over to Allen’s home to discover where he’s hidden the decaying corpses Christie was likely to have discovered before she died. In shock, he comes to learn that the home is up for sale, and finds it stunningly white.

They have now been removed and instead of being confronted by authorities like the police, or any other agencies of law enforcement the police had predicted, Bateman instead finds a realtor talking to potential tenants regarding the house.

The real estate agent faces Bateman and tells Bateman the fact that Paul Allen never resided there. As he begins to lose his grip He frantically and anxiously calls his assistant Jean who was one of the fortunate few who escaped Patrick’s scorn.

When Bateman’s office is occupied, Jean searches for his diary and finds horrifying images as well as barbaric and deranged drawings of people that he’d killed, particularly women.

What happens at Harry’s bar?

Bateman and his colleagues are still debating on where they should reserve a table for the evening back to Harry’s Bar, where he previously told his attorney Harold Carnes he was going to be later that afternoon. Bateman attempts to defend himself however it is revealed that the lawyer doesn’t know who he is.

Nobody recognizes anyone else It is a common theme in both the novel and film (though particularly for the latter). The characters are so ignorant that they’re in the dark about everything. Lawyer Bateman also says the fact that Paul Allen can’t be dead simply because they ate breakfast together in London as well believes the conversation could have been a joke. It’s understandable that Bateman is puzzled.

Does Bateman actually murder all those people?

The most popular theory is that all that happens is within Bateman’s mind. It’s a plausible assumption considering that even in the case that Bateman isn’t a murderer there’s no reason not to suppose that he had fantasies about what happened.

Many people believe that the film is a continuous hallucination due because Paul Allen’s house was cleaned up and there is no reference to the corpses that were rotting that Bateman was said to have left behind.

Based on this, Bateman merely fantasized about the same thing and these drawings are what came to terms with his obsessions.

A scene where Bateman shoots at a police car and explodes and causes Bateman to look at his weapon in disbelief This is a different factor that is used to back up this theory. In reality, vehicles do not explode as soon as you begin firing they do; that’s why Bateman looked confused but it may also represent a mockery of the action scenes in movies, where this occurs.

Another way to look at the situation is to consider that Bateman was able to kill everyone. The vehicle could explode if the blasts caused the gas to ignite. All of these events took place, they were but not all within his mind. People might ask, “But what about Paul Allen’s residence?”

There’s a reason for that too as it can make the entire story even more frightening. It’s certain that Bateman ended up having dead bodies buried in the house. But since the home is an asset worth preserving for New York rental properties, the owner of the property was able to keep it quiet. He then determined to dispose of the dead bodies herself and is now trying to rent the property out secretly.

What do you think of us? What did you think happened? Do you have an alternative theory?