Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
DETAILS
FILM REVIEW
Course: Serial & Mass homicide
Film Review of serial homicide or serial killer.
Film must be related to serial homicide or serial killer
IMPORTANT NOTES
While these papers must have a scholarly tone (e.g. using appropriate grammar and a university-level vocabulary, not using contractions or the first-person), they will consist mainly of your own original ideas and thoughts.
Students are virtually unlimited as to what they can write about. Some suggestions include, assessing whether the movie provides a realistic depiction of serial murder based upon what is offered and has been learned in class.
Reviewers might also decide to describe, in detail, whether or not the serial murderers exhibit certain paraphilia. Is the film fictional or is it based on actual characters? If it is based on actual characters, is it an accurate portrayal? Students may discuss any aspect of the film, so long as it integrates some of the concepts that have been learned in the reading and discussions throughout the semester.Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
You are welcome to use outside sources (e.g. scholarly articles, books, appropriate Internet sources), however, do not quote verbatim at any time from these sources. Since this is a rather short assignment, it must be in the writers own words. Paraphrasing is appropriate, but do not have long quotes from outside sources. Also, if you use an outside source, be sure to cite this in the reference section of the paper. Use APA style.
Students are allowed to quote the movie if they feel that it illustrates an important point. However, a quote can be no more than 50 words. In addition, you may only quote your film a maximum of three times. No exceptions. Please make sure that you follow this rule, as deviations will result in a penalty.Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
Introduction
American psycho is a film that was released in 200, directed by Mary Harron, and based on Bret Easton?s novel with the same title. The movie, centers around Patrick Bateman, who is a New York based serial killer. It is a horror film that has a satirical tone in its storytelling. The film?s main theme focuses on the contrast between Bateman?s public persona as a successful player in Wall Street and his ?true? psychopathic nature as a serial killer (Eldridge, 2008). The movie starred Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman with a strong supporting cast featuring Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto and Reese Whitherspoon.
Synopsis
Patrick Bateman is one of the senior vice presidents at a successful Wall Street Investment bank, Pierce and Pierce. The movie begins with Bateman?s narration, showing the lengths that he goes to maintain his successful appearance. He is obsessed with being physically attractive, shown by his dedication to a punishing daily fitness regime and using multiple skin care products as well as tanning beds to maintain his good looks and overall attractiveness. He frequents expensive restaurants and maintains a group of friends that are shallow and materialistic. He also exclusively wears expensive designer clothing brands. Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
Bateman does not enjoy the life that he lives but insists that he has to maintain appearances in order to ?fit in?. In one of his monologues, he confesses to having no feelings except jealousy and rage. He is a music enthusiast, with his favorite artists being Phil Collins and Whitney Houston. When talking to his fellow vice presidents at the firm, he becomes enraged that his associate, Paul Allen, has a better designed business card than his. He subsequently murders him with an axe and stages his apartment to appear that Paul has left for London. He later unsuccessfully tries to kill another associate, Luis, who also had a superior business card.
He kills his friend Elizabeth, and a prostitute he names ?Christie? at Paul?s apartment. Before being killed by a chainsaw, Christie stumbled upon a closet that had multiple dead bodies. Further killing sprees involve him killing an homeless person, a woman that tries to prevent him from killing a cat and a guard and janitor at a building he was hiding in to evade the police.
He tries to confess to the killings by calling his lawyer, who thinks that it is a sick practical joke. In his confession he claims to have killed between 20 and 40 people. The film ends with the realization that he has gotten away with his misdeeds. Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
Major Themes in the Movie
Materialism and Superficiality
Bateman, and his friends, are obsessed with showing off their wealth. They live in expensive apartments, wear expensive clothes, eat at expensive restaurants and frequent beauty salons to maintain their attractive façade. One of the most defining moments n terms of illustrating this obsession is when they go to lunch and term a lunch bill of $570 (for a four person lunch) to be extremely affordable (Robinson, 2006). The superficiality of the main characters is one of the satirical aspects of the plot, especially their obsession with business cards and beauty regimes. They also fight to manage lucrative investment portfolios all while talking ill of each other behind their backs (Kauffman, 2000).
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Paraphilia
In its simplest definition, paraphilia can be described as sexual deviancy, characterized by arousal from unusual and ?strange? fetishes (Kafka, 2001). Bateman is aroused by the torture and domination of his female sexual partners (Moore, 2012). He tortures two prostitutes, who leave the apartment bloodied and in tears. He kills Christie and Elizabeth after a threesome. He is also very dominating towards his sexual partners using money and intimidation to direct their every action during a sexual encounter.
Misogyny
Bateman, and his male associates, exhibit highly misogynistic tendencies. Bateman, in particular, treats women as objects; a means to achieve an end (Heise, 2011). His engagement to Evelyn meant nothing to him, and he breaks up with her in a very unemotional manner. The way he treats his assistant, Jean, is also extremely disrespectful. He assigns prostitutes names that appeal to him, rather than using their names and most of his violence and killing is directed towards women. Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
Faithfulness to Source material
The original novel from which the movie was based on faced a lot of controversy even before its release. Multiple publishers refused to print and distribute it due to the excessive gore and violence directed at women. At its release, it was heavily criticized by the public as well as by a segment of literary critics for the excessive violent themes and the overall treatment of female characters. Part of the reason that Mary Harron, a female producer, was assigned the project was to deflect some of the criticism concerning the violence directed towards women (Kooijman, 2003).
The movie placed more emphasis on the male vanity within Bateman and his associates and Pierce and Pierce. The director actually considers the movie to have a feminist theme. Most of the sense featured the need for the associates to impress each other with business cards, designer wear, private tanning beds and hard to get restaurant reservations. While the film still maintains the horror aspect from the books, it has a much lower body count and incorporates numerous satirical themes and plot lines. It is largely faithful to the source material while carving out its own identity. Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
Conclusion
Overall, the film is well executed and is not simply a ?slasher film?. The cast performed admirably, with particular praise for Christian Bale?s portrayal of Bateman. The satirical angle was well executed as well, with good comedic performances particularly during the braggadocio over trivial ?accomplishments? such as restaurant reservations and business card design.
References
Eldridge, D. (2008). The Generic American Psycho. Journal of American Studies, 42(01), 19-33.
Heise, T. (2011). American Psycho: Neoliberal Fantasies and the Death of Downtown. Arizona Quarterly: A Journal of American Literature, Culture, and Theory, 67(1), 135-160.
Kafka, M. P. (2001). The paraphilia-related disorders: A proposal for a unified classification of nonparaphilic hypersexuality disorders. Sexual Addiction &Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 8(3-4), 227-239.
Kauffman, L. S. (2000). Review: American Psycho by Mary Harron, Edward J. Pressman, Chris Hanley, Christian Halsey Solomon.
Kooijman, J. (2003). ? American Psycho?: A Double Portrait of Serial Yuppie Patrick Bateman. Post Script-Essays in Film and the Humanities, 22(3), 46-56.
Moore, C. C. (2012). We?re not through yet: the Patrick Bateman debate. The Comparatist, 36(1), 226-247.
Robinson, D. (2006). The Unattainable Narrative: Identity Consumerism and the Slasher Film in Mary Harron?s? American Psycho?. Cineaction, 26-35.
FILM REVIEW(1)
Contrast between Bateman?s Public Persona as a Successful Player in Wall Street Sample Film Review
