American Psycho ending - SPOILERS

[MiracleOfSound]

In case you somehow missed the thread title:

MASSIVE SPOILERS

I really enjoyed this movie (a lot more than the book, which I had to stop because it was good but just too upsetting for me) but the ending left me feeling a tad confused.

The interpretation I got was that everyone of Bateman's yuppie colleagues knew he was a murderer yet everyone covered up for him - implying that the yuppie culture was in itself morally bankrupt and devoid of any respect or empathy for others.

This seemed apparent when he went back to the apartment which had been cleaned out and the woman told him 'you should leave now'. It was like she knew everything.

Then again, some parts were clearly either imagined or exaggerated in his mind, such as blowing up the cop cars with his pistol.

What happened? Was it all in his head or did everyone know and cover it up? And I wonder if his secretary ended up telling people about his murder diary? Or was it all so oblique that they just wanted us to decide our own ending?

 

[Lukeje]

The whole point of the ending (of the book at least, I haven't seen that film) was to be ambiguous. Was he really a psychopath? Or was it all in his head?

 

[RipperSU]

Yeah its basically left open to your own reading. Bateman states throughout the book/movie that he has a powerful father. There are also (especially in the book) cases where certain characters mistake Bateman for other people or Bateman mistakes their identity- so him getting away with it is plausible. However, like others have said, it could all be a figment of Bateman's imagination.

 

[manythings]

Well my view was it was a case of his vacuous, drug addled yuppie lifestyle had started melding with the more bizarre parts of his own self-hate and how much the others of his world disgusted him.

Also Christian Bale is awesome. I have yet to see a bad movie with him.

 

[plugav]

The situation was exaggerated, to be sure, but whether it was real or imagined didn't really matter, I believe. Bat(e)man's murderous rampage is, disturbingly, a cry for help. But that's the one thing he can't get in the narcissistic culture he's in. Hardly anyone even cares enough to remember who they're talking to.

 

[AbstractStream]

No doubt it was a good movie, Christian Bale was awesome as Bateman. Can't see anyone else playing that role. As for the ending, I got the impression that it was all in his head.

 

[Drauden]

Great movie.

I always thought it was all in his head, since all the bodies were suddenly missing from his house, and his notebook was filled with obscene scenarios.
There's no way that many people would cover up for a narcisistic psychotic yuppie with no redeeming qualities. (Apart from being hilarious of course)

 

[Marter]

Considering American Psycho 2 exists, and I suppose is considered canon, (although the author disputes this and its production history leads me to believe that it shouldn't be canon), it can't have just been in his own head. Some of it, like the cat part, clearly was, but the majority of the murders had to actually occur. If you denounce the second film though, then you can take it how you will.

And American Psycho 2 was better than its predecessor. Just going to throw that out there.

 

[Vonnis]

I think it was all his imagination. As the film progresses he gets more and more delusional, but the way people react to him makes me sure none of the things he believes he did actually happened.

The whole point of the ending (of the book at least, I haven't seen that film) was to be ambiguous. Was he really a psychopath? Or was it all in his head?

Possibly both. The film describes his mental breakdown, and we see him gradually lose his grasp on reality. At the end of the film, he still doesn't seem to know reality from imagination, and we have no way of knowing whether he's going to try and go back to his normal life, or go on a murderous rampage, as he himself doesn't really seem to care what happens to him and those around him.

 

[Wadders]

LOVE THIS FILM.

I was always under the impression that it was all in his head. The events like the ATM telling him to feed it a cat, blowing up police cars, and then being told that Paul Allen is still alive seem to point to that in my view.

 

[duktapeman90]

I always saw the ending as a commentary on that whole '80s yuppie lifestyle, where everyone was so detached from reality to the point where they couldn't be bothered to remember someone's name/face. So the ending really did happened, it's just no one gave a shit about it.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

You know, I've been thinking about this aswell... I think it might have been his imagination, or atleast it's what makes sense to me seeing as how he's being swallowed by insanity as the movie goes on...
This however makes no sense with American Psycho 2... But what ever

Wouldn't worry too much about that I think that movie is not exactly considered canon by fans. Apparently even Ellis himself publicly shat all over it.

How could something with Mila Kunis in it be so ugly....??

 

[BonsaiK]

What happened? Was it all in his head or did everyone know and cover it up? And I wonder if his secretary ended up telling people about his murder diary? Or was it all so oblique that they just wanted us to decide our own ending?

Well...

The situation was exaggerated, to be sure, but whether it was real or imagined didn't really matter, I believe. Bat(e)man's murderous rampage is, disturbingly, a cry for help. But that's the one thing he can't get in the narcissistic culture he's in. Hardly anyone even cares enough to remember who they're talking to.

This person gets it. Whether real or imagined, the 'murders' serve the same function. The point of the film is the satire of vapid, materialistic 1980s American culture, which is the real 'American psycho'. In this context, Bateman barely makes a wave - he's the reflector, not the director.

 

[Icaruss]

I think your not supposed to know (Baitman damn sure dosen't) maybe parts of it are "real" and other fake, maybe its all in his head maybe it all happened and no one gives a shit.I personally like think their all fething nuts(it make me feel normal).