American Psycho - Chainsaw Scene

A nude and bloodied Bateman (Christian Bale) chases after fleeing hooker Christie (Cara Seymour) with a chainsaw and drops it down on her from a stairwell.
Zifnabsays...

That is part of the point. Here is some info from Wikipedia:

There has been much debate among fans as to what extent the movie was supposed to have taken place in Bateman's mind. It is arguable that Bateman, as is also true of the novel, never commits any acts of violence. This is arguable because: one, Patrick is always alone with his victim(s) when he commits a crime; two, the evidence of his crimes disappear mysteriously; and, three, the characters never acknowledge Patrick's obvious claims of psychosis. There are several instances in the movie where the reality of the events is called into question:
* After Patrick kills Paul Allen and drags his body through the lobby a blood trail is clearly visible. Later, after Patrick talks to Louis Carruthers, the blood trail is gone.
* When Patrick standing in the middle of a street engages in a gun battle with the four policemen, he fires at one of the police cars causing it to explode. Patrick then stares at his gun in obvious disbelief.
* When Patrick returns to Paul Allen's apartment, all evidence of his crimes are gone and there is a real estate agent present who appears to have no knowledge of the events that supposedly transpired there (though the real estate agent's hostile attitude and behavior creates ambiguity as to whether she has knowledge and is covering up the crime or not, and whether her hostility is genuine, or his paranoid perception)
* Much like the novel, this movie does make a satire of the yuppie society. With that view in mind, it is possible to come to the conclusion that the covering up of crimes and murders existed. This is highlighted when Bateman confronts his lawyer, Harold, and him saying that he had dinner with Paul Allen in London just ten days prior. This presents two possibilities: one, Bateman imagined killing Paul Allen altogether; or, two, as everyone was confusing Bateman with Halberstam, it is possible that in the fake society, no one really knew who anyone was.
* Other characters in the movie repeatedly refer to Patrick as a "loser" while mistaking him for someone else. This is taken by some as another example of Patrick's warped sense of reality reflecting his own feelings of inadequacy.
* When operating an ATM towards the end of the film, the screen suddenly displays the message "FEED ME A STRAY CAT". Patrick picks up a stray cat nearby, tries to put the kitten into the card slot and pulls out his pistol, when a nearby old woman stops him he shoots her and runs away leaving his credit card in the ATM.
* There is conflicting commentary on the DVD from Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner as to whether or not the crimes actually occurred.

spoco2says...

I've never actually wanted to see this movie... reasons being:
* The book itself is exceedingly violent, and I didn't really need to see that on screen
* I got bored of the book around 2/3rds the way through... it labored the same points over and over and over again... we get it, he's incredibly shallow, very hung up on material possessions and appearances with no real taste... it's just that over and over and over again with the murders over and over again also...

To me, the book makes worthwhile statements on the 80s society, which can be applied today too, but does so in a labored way.

Send this Article to a Friend



Separate multiple emails with a comma (,); limit 5 recipients






Your email has been sent successfully!

Manage this Video in Your Playlists




notify when someone comments
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
  
Learn More