netizen Bill has already explained that perhaps his family found the corpse and wreckage in the house and mistakenly believed that Paul was guilty of absconding and acted to cover up his crime. So when the woman sees Bateman, she reacts so cautiously and sensitively. Just imagine that when a landlord who plans to rent out a house sees a tenant in a neat suit (even if he looks a little flustered), will he rush away in a hurry. When Bateman said, I was looking for paul allen's home. The normal answer should be that you made a mistake, and then smiled and asked him to go out. Instead of using the next set of methods (TIME advertising) to capture his true intentions here. If you want to explain that it is the landlord’s precautionary psychology, it seems to make sense to be afraid of the thief, but you have to know that this house is now just a rough piece to be rented out. Is it such a fuss? Obviously there is a ghost in his heart.
2. The lawyer's conversation
Bateman called his lawyer the night he was arrested and confessed his crime, but the last sentence was ambiguous "you know, keep your eyes", is it possible for the lawyer to put this sentence Misunderstood that Bateman was asking him to help him cover up the crime.
As a lawyer who has experienced many battles on Wall Street, he may have developed a good ability to be flexible anytime and anywhere in various financial cases and major scandals. It is very possible to go against the conscience for the benefit of the employer and make a little smart.
In the bar that day, perhaps he could tell Bateman had a nervous breakdown at a glance, and he might even tell the truth on the spot without being able to control himself. In order to protect his employer, persuasion on the spot may not be effective. In order not to attract people's attention, the lawyer deliberately confessed Bateman's mistakes and put it off as a joke, and told him euphemistically that no one would. Think he can kill. Saying that I met Paul in London, I also told him that I have done alibi for you.
Of course, there is a crazier explanation. The lawyer may really admit Bateman to his fault. Let's pay attention to how many "confessions" appear in the film. Paul confessed to Bateman, and the security guard who was shot by Bateman also confessed to Bateman. In the confession of the police officer's investigation, someone was mistaken for Paul once in London. Bateman had an alibi for some reason, which could be regarded as another confession. Even at the beginning of the film, Bateman and his friends confuse Robinson and Paul Allen on the spot. Therefore, it is possible for the lawyer to admit Bateman's mistake, and even mistake the person he met in London that was very similar to Paul to be Paul. This is Wall Street, and everyone looks exactly the same.
3. If the previous killing clips are real, then the final meaning of the film can be better established.
Let’s look at Bateman’s final monologue-
"There are no obstacles to overcome. All the rebelliousness, insanity, the uneasiness of criminals, the harm caused by my crimes, and my indifference to these have been successfully surpassed. "
My English is not good enough, so the comparison is the translation of Chinese subtitles, there may be inaccurate points in the reading. But as far as I understand it now, the "passing over" here should mean "crossing over" and "covering up". All the crimes and anxiety are covered by an uncontrollable force (even without Bateman's presence), this force happens to come from everyone's underlying dark psychology, and they unknowingly interact and hide cruel facts. This made Bateman feel deeply helpless and terrified. Behind him, there is far more powerful and dangerous negative force than direct violence. (The TV media that is best at lying and covering up are mentioned at the end.)
"My pain is long and deep. I don't want the world to be better for anyone, and I don't want anyone to be spared. But even if I tell each other frankly, I still don't get it. Relieve, I cannot escape my punishment, nor can I know myself deeply...this confession also seems meaningless"
The first half sentence can be seen as Bateman's self-confession. Perhaps he has been suffering from the great pain caused by the tearing between violence and rationality (the paragraph that started with the secretary). He hopes to be free from his crimes and recognize his devil’s face, but when he plucks up the courage to do so, he finds that he is powerless at all. The crimes he commits may turn into fiction at any time, and the evil is so easy. Buried deeply by the accomplices in the air. This is undoubtedly a cold irony, he will never be able to face himself further, "This is not Exit", there is no exit behind Bateman, he cannot look back, he cannot wash his sins, he cannot face his conscience, and he cannot be redeemed. , The only exit has been firmly blocked by this cruel reality full of violence and lies, and has become a hotbed of crime. American Psycho, what is sick is the entire modern society.
If you feel that the above explanation imagines our protagonist too kind and gentle, it doesn't matter, let's understand it from the opposite side. An American serial murderer appeared in Bateman's conversation, and his speech revealed his appreciation and admiration for that person. Assuming that Bateman hopes to imitate his predecessors and use his appalling serial murders to gain a reputation in the world and satisfy vanity, it is also plausible. But the same thing is that he still didn’t expect that his outstanding military exploits would suddenly be washed away, and he couldn’t find it when he wanted to find it. At this moment, even if he was all over the world shouting that I was a killer and grab me, it’s probably everyone. You can only watch it as a fool and listen to it as a joke. This is undoubtedly another kind of black humor.
4. I firmly don't think that the director would foolishly use 102 minutes to make up a ridiculous lie. If this is the case, then all the previous characterization and plot weaving have lost their meaning, and the final monologue has no power. It's like the worst panacea ending in a science fiction story is, oh, so I had a dream.
Supplement: There are some logical ambiguities and ambiguities in the film, such as the weird reminders on the cash machine, Bateman's constant medication, and the graffiti on the notebook, which are enough to make people feel that all the plots are fictional and delusional. If these areas can be made clearer and avoid unnecessary ambiguity, I feel that the effect will be better. On the contrary, if everything is really just Bateman's imaginary, or the director deliberately wants to create such a half-truth effect, I can only give this film one star to two stars.
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