Played by Stephen Bogaert, Patrick Bateman's lawyer has been responsible for most of the confusion surrounding the ending the American Psycho-but don't let him fool you! Harold Carnes knows far less about what's going on than you might think.
This fact goes a long way in crippling theories that say American Psycho 's lead really did kill his nemesis.
As American Psycho reaches its dramatic conclusion, Bateman finally confesses his crimes to his lawyer (twice—once via voicemail and once in person), only for the cold character to inform him Paul Allen is still alive and (seemingly) none of the climax’s events occurred in reality.
Even the owners of Allen's apartment are willing to dispose of a serial killer's evidence to ensure maximum profit. In a group discussion with Charlie Rose, American Psycho 's author admitted that the book is primarily a critique of male behavior — something director Mary Harron recognized from the get go.
One of Bateman's many victims is Paul Allen (Jared Leto), a coworker that Bateman loathes. Bateman murders Allen with an ax in Allen's apartment and leaves the body there. Later, he brings other victims to the apartment, killing them and leaving their bodies there as well.
It makes it look like it was all in his head, and as far as I'm concerned, it's not.” Thus, many of the above scenes aren't supposed to be evidence that the murders didn't happen but are supposed to reflect Bateman's deteriorating mental state and the loss of his grip on any semblance of reality.
In the film At one point, he met Paul Allen, who works at another firm. He lures him to his apartment, where Bateman kills him with an axe because he was handling an account that Bateman wanted.
In depicting the shallowness of Patrick's world, the serial killer is often confused with his co-workers. As posted on Reddit page r/MovieDetails, one such occasion is during a Christmas party, where the more successful Paul Allen (Jared Leto) mistakes him for Marcus.
His lawyer calls him Davis, which could be his real name. Patrick Bateman could be the first person he has killed, whom he has stolen the identity of in his head, the same way he stole paul allen's identity. Patrick Bateman may have been his first victim which causes his insanity (?)
The main character, Patrick Bateman, is glamorously portrayed as a wealthy, standoffish killer suspected to have antisocial personality disorder and possibly dissociative identity disorder, while all of the other characters are depicted as “normal” friends and coworkers.
Throughout the novel, Patrick Bateman exhibits many characterisitcs that lead him to being categorized as a Sociopath. For example, Bateman is known to have a lack of empathy for others around him.
American Psycho's Ending Explained By The Filmmakers When in fact, both filmmakers agree that the ending did happen in real life, and Batman actor Christian Bale's Bateman won't be prosecuted for his crimes based on his affluence and high-society station.
The first time we see Paul Allen — and then for the remaining time he's in the movie — he mistakenly refers to Patrick Bateman as Marcus Halberstram, who Patrick tells us also works at P&P doing the same exact thing he does. They also dress similarly and go to the same barber.
In American Psycho (2000), when Paul mistakenly calls Patrick Marcus at the Christmas party, you can see the real Marcus looking around in the background after hearing his name called.
It includes the Harvard and Yale Clubs and the Four Seasons but also long gone hotspots of yore like Nell's, Texarkana, Tunnel, Arcadia, and Arizona 206. Don't look for Dorsia, though. That restaurant was fictional.
He feels that she is the only person in his life who is not completely shallow, so he cannot bring himself to seduce or kill her. He casually acknowledges her as "Jean, my secretary who is in love with me" and introduces her in the narration as someone whom he "will probably end up married to someday".
Don't let the lawyer fool you. Played by Stephen Bogaert, Patrick Bateman's lawyer has been responsible for most of the confusion surrounding the ending the American Psycho — but don't let him fool you! Harold Carnes knows far less about what's going on than you might think.
In a group discussion of the film with journalist Charlie Rose, lead actor Christian Bale, and the novel's writer Bret Easton Ellis, director Mary Harron admitted that she failed with American Psycho 's final scene.
Regardless, the aggression, mood shift, and disarming wink that ends the episode are the first jarring clues that Bateman isn't as polished as he seems. Nobody likes waiting to be served, but thinking about playing with the bartender's blood because her club doesn't accept credit cards isn't exactly healthy.
The proper DSM-IV classification for Patrick Bateman is antisocial personality disorder, but that doesn't sound as punchy as American Psycho, hence the chosen title.
According to Psychology Today, most serial killers display a pattern in victimology, weapons, and modus operandi. Sometimes, the method is varied when a killer is starting out, but Patrick is truly all over the map. Most of his murders are premeditated, giving him the means to control how the kills go down.
The film adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel American Psycho debuted in 2000. It was quickly cemented as one of the most ambiguous and confusing films in cinematic history. While initially appearing straightforward, the movie intentionally unravels at the end, making plenty of people wonder whether or not Patrick Bateman's murders even took ...
The crass scene may very well have prevented American Psycho from becoming the cult classic it is today. While it's probably best that the musical number stayed on the cutting room floor, fans itching to see Bateman burst into song do have an outlet: Duncan Shiek turned the story into a Broadway musical.
In what can arguably be seen as the biggest twist related to American Psycho 's ending, writer/director Mary Harron and co-writer Guinevere Turner have actually gone on record saying that -- in retrospect -- they don't love how the film's ending came together.
Our interpretation of American Psycho 's finale is far from the only opinion floating around out there, and from our stance you can probably piece together what the principal alternate theory is: Patrick Bateman actually killed everybody, including Paul Allen.
There is little question that Patrick Bateman is an absolute lunatic, but the big question at the end of American Psycho is whether he is a serial killer, or just a sadist with extreme delusions and a vivid imagination.
The reason why the entire third act is so key to understanding the ending of American Psycho is because it establishes that we are seeing the world through the protagonist's eyes, and nothing is to be trusted.
Though he's armed with just a pistol, and is stuck in an open alley way, he is able to actually kill at least two police officers, and even blow up one of the squad cars. This even strikes the titular character as odd, as he actually stares at his gun in disbelief.
They want to make it very clear: Patrick Bateman is most definitely a serial killer.
Like the Bret Easton Ellis book that it's based on, the ending of Mary Harron's American Psycho is rather ambiguous, and has been a source of debate amongst fans for a long time.
In "American Psycho," we meet Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), an investment banker living large in New York City in the 1980s. By day, he's himbo – a very attractive guy who is also incredibly stupid. By night, he's a ruthless serial killer.
What are we to make of this ending? There are commonly two interpretations here, and while I don't think either is "wrong," I personally think one is more accurate than the other. The first interpretation – and the one that I heard the most when the film first came out – is that almost everything that happened in the movie was in Bateman's head.
Look closer at the deeper meaning and messages of American Psycho’s ending.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free
Visit AmoMama to find out the latest gossip about your favorite celebs! Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll
American Psycho Ending, Explained. The American Dream, the life. It has been a working ideal for a whole generation of people across the world that have spent entire lifetimes chasing that ever-elusive dream. There have been people who have achieved it, and as with any other opportunistic paradigm, there have been people who haven’t, ...
The hide, made of Valentino suits and Olivers’ glasses, strutting about in high rising offices proves to be so inconspicuous that in the world Bateman operated, anybody could be anybody. That in fact is the pining and towering achievement of ‘American Psycho’s finale, certainly more than the ambiguity of it.
Because as much as Patrick Bateman is a crazy psychopath, he is no longer able to clearly distinguish reality and has killed an unknown number of people, the prestige of his person and the superficiality of the environments he lives in prevent anyone from believing in his confession.
The final scene of the film and the way you get there contradict what the film has shown so far, and the temptation is to think that everything happened only in the protagonist’s head, Patrick Bateman.
It is clear that at some point in the film Bateman loses control of reality and is no longer clear about what is real and what is not. But this does not erase the reality of what we have seen up to that precise point.
When his secretary says "thanks Patrick" he says "I'm not here". Even the friends of Bateman humiliate him and in the beginning they don't even know which man is Paul Allen. When we see this person, whoever he is, he is drinking himself into an early grave.
According to the Wiki article, the lawyer "mistakes him for another colleague". This is supposed to drive home the fact that although he is somewhat of a narcis sist, he is unimportant to certain people around him. In fact, everyone is unimportant to certain people around them .
Patrick Bateman does not exist physically but rather is the narrative occupying the minds of all the characters we see and this is alluded to numerous times. The opening dialog itself states "I simply am not there" which was timed so it's said when he peels off the mask.