AMERICAN PSYCHO TAKE TWO
TAKE 2
WORDS Katie Kasperson
We assess the lasting cultural impact of Patrick Bateman 25 years on, as evidenced by Luca Guadagnino’s announcement of a remake
B efore American Psycho , most to Be Square or Phil Collins’ Sussudio with murder, yet both eighties pop hits appear on this movie’s soundtrack. Mary Harron’s adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel – also titled American Psycho – follows Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street banker and serial killer played by a buff, dead-eyed Christian Bale, rumoured to have modelled his performance on Tom Cruise. The story itself is a critique of the materialistic culture of eighties Manhattan, and is thus full of luxury brands and other status symbols, such as the quality of one’s business card. Taken at face value, the film fits into the horror genre, but it’s more accurately described as a dark comedy. It’s an people probably didn’t associate Huey Lewis and the News’ Hip
absurdist tale of obsession with image, in a world where fitting in is most important. Released in 2000, the film faced its fair share of hurdles. Harron fought desperately for it to be made (and for Bale – almost beat out by Leonardo DiCaprio, a larger star at the time – to play Bateman). Body horror auteur David Cronenberg was originally set to direct the project several years prior, but dropped it due to disagreements over the script. Now, Luca Guadagnino is launching a remake with Austin Butler in the lead, suggesting a continued disdain for the finance bro in today’s culture and underlining the original’s legacy. While arguably best known for its performances – from Bale, Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto and Chloë Sevigny – American Psycho also excels
TEXTBOOK NARCISSIST The film’s stylisation makes for an offbeat character study
visually. A mix of close-ups, medium and wide shots keep Bateman centred, using symmetry to highlight his neuroticism. The production design blends sleek, murderous minimalism with the decadence of the decade, while DOP Andrzej Sekuła ( Pulp Fiction , Reservoir Dogs ) uses movement to juxtapose Bateman’s public life with his private one. Static shots and slow pans are frequent to match his stable temperament, while erratic, handheld motions characterise his killing sprees. Mirrors and many other reflective surfaces, including fancy metal menus, also abound, emphasising his narcissism and disconnect from reality. Of its meagre $10m budget, the film reportedly only used $7m – most of which went towards music licensing. Bateman prattles off factoids about his favourite artists before he kills; a creative choice that demonstrates irony while cementing the film as a period piece. We’ve yet to see how Guadagnino will handle the source material, but to quote actress Ayo Edebiri: ‘I’m seated’.
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