10 Best Films With Unreliable Narrators

Patrick Bateman’s narration of his life and activities is essentially a confession, which is echoed throughout the movie. He repeatedly tries to confess his ‘crimes’ to different people, all who believe his claims to be unbelievable and outlandish, often leading to their demise. The viewer is similarly asked if they can accept what he is doing, despite the stories becoming more and more disturbing and gruesome.

A perfectionist misogynist, who is essentially emotionless and self-centred, his victims are either colleagues who challenge his status, or nameless people from the lower classes, who he views as disposable after he has had his fun with them. The fact that these people are tramps or prostitutes mean it is very difficult to prove whether their murders actually happened or if they were all in Bateman’s mind.

His narration never waivers from giving the impression that he is anything other than desirable, with men and women alike all attracted to him. When he is told that the first man he murdered is still alive, you join him in trying to work out whether he managed to get away with everything or if none of it was real in the first place.