‘American Psycho’ 25 Years Later: Is The Enduring Cult of Bateman Iconic or Ironic?

In the 1980s, young American men were plagued by a singular vision of success: a career in finance. This dream came packaged with a designer suit, a pristine business card, and access to exclusive clubs and lavish parties. The few who achieved this goal were envied across the nation as the acme of success.

Bret Easton Ellis saw through the show — the shallow, toxic culture and the ironic lack of ease in the curated, effortless persona. He imagined a character, Patrick Bateman, who accepted these ideals to become the “perfect” Wall Street man at the expense of his humanity — to be the subject of his infamous novel, “American Psycho.”

In 2000, director Mary Harron adapted the book as a film with lead actor Christian Bale, creating the cult classic “American Psycho.” 25 years later, while Wall Street’s grip has loosened, that of “American Psycho” still holds firm.

“American Psycho” can be read two ways. First, a psychological breakdown of Bateman where he hallucinates his murders. Or, second, a world so numb that the murders happen and go unnoticed. These interpretations mark two entirely different films.

Following the interpretation that the murders don’t happen, “American Psycho” centers solely on how Bateman’s pursuit of conformity drives him toward insanity. In submitting himself to societal norms, he becomes narcissistic and incapable of empathy or emotion: “Only an entity, something illusory.”

In this interpretation, the film is stagnant. Bateman serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of conformity. While the message is important and timeless, it leaves little room for evolution over time. Today, the film’s message would be narrow and unchanging.

By contrast, if the murders did happen, the film begs the question: What happens when a uniform ideal is actually fulfilled? “American Psycho” argues that those who achieve the ideal become one of many identical winners. These winners abandon individuality, rendering the achievement meaningless.

The Wall Street men presented in the film are indistinguishable, with the same Valentino suits and Oliver Peoples glasses. Businessman Paul Allen’s death goes unnoticed because, in becoming the pinnacle of success, his life grows unexceptional. His co-workers and even his lawyer believe he is still alive, mistaking him for other equally successful men.

Body bags may fill apartments, but they’ll get cleared out by the person who just wants to sell the building. Bateman may murder Allen, but that same night, he’ll be given a false alibi that he was at dinner with his co-workers who can’t differentiate him from the other men either.

When the murders happen, “American Psycho” examines 1980s American capitalist society as a whole, rather than Bateman alone; other characters are equally as troubled and emotionally stagnated. In the characters’ collective fight for conformity, conformity conquers them.

From this perspective, 25 years later, the film can be more thoroughly examined from a modern lens — has the toxic standard of ’80s Wall Street been preserved or reversed?

“American Psycho” is an extreme satire, yet it paints accurate themes of Wall Street both in the past and present. However, the significance of Wall Street has undeniably diminished, partially replaced by the larger technological innovations in Silicon Valley. The transition is reflected in the shift from Bateman to the fictionalized Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network” (2010) as the defining sigma male.

Bateman and Zuckerberg both triumph in their respective industries, yet Bateman’s success lies in conformity while Zuckerberg’s lies in his lack thereof. This difference creates the illusion of progress, suggesting that we’ve moved on from the intense uniformity in the American dream. Yet like Bateman, Zuckerberg ends the film not satisfied, but tortured. Although these protagonists may find external validation in finance or tech, they are still both sell-outs, gaining professional prestige at the expense of personal fulfillment.

In other words, the behaviors that “American Psycho” criticizes, despite evolving industries, have not lessened over time. While Wall Street once stood as the symbol of ruthless ambition and surface-level success, today, tech, startups, and online influencers have absorbed these values. Aesthetics may have shifted from mahogany boardrooms to minimalist offices and from pinstripe suits to Patagonia fleeces, but the underlying ideology remains: a relentless pursuit of power, status, and image at the cost of empathy and identity. In the world of tech, as in Bateman’s Wall Street, human relationships are transactional, and prestige masks narcissism and detachment.

“American Psycho” is just as relevant now — its satire echoing through Slack channels, contrived mission statements, and LinkedIn feeds alike.

Bateman and Zuckerberg carry another key similarity — they are anti-heroes misinterpreted as heroes. The intended audience of the films takes the cautionary tales as blueprints toward success. Online sigma edits romanticize their lifestyles — admiring Zuckerberg’s brilliance even when it veers into arrogance, and idolizing Bateman’s polished, paper-perfect excess.

In an interview with GQ, Christian Bale shared that, when he visited Wall Street, workers on the trading floor “patted [him] on the back,” expressing their love towards Bateman, which Bale noted to be shockingly unironic. Traders may overlook the film’s satire if they relate to Bateman in his sacrifices to achieve the same success that they’ve had.

But is the satire actually misunderstood or simply ignored? It’s hard to believe such extremity can truly be thought unironic. In reality, “American Psycho” was never bound to be internalized. The film presents the consequences of material achievement while following those willing to overlook such consequences. Therefore, like the film’s characters, viewers who covet the Bateman lifestyle accept them and move on. The film will not change their decision.

The same person who laughs while watching Bateman hyperventilate over a business card will go to an investment banking cocktail hour endorsing their curated LinkedIn. They’ll put on their finest suit, paint on a fake smile, and mechanically shake hands with their co-workers. They’ll see Bateman in all his absurdity and still choose to become him for the night.

25 years later, the themes of “American Psycho” remain powerful, accurate, and ignored. Bateman prevails as an unironic icon: the American Success.