8 Movies With Ambiguous Endings (That Weren't Really Ambiguous At All)

8. American Psycho

American Psycho Ending I think this is a strange one, and it's probably apt that the film took a shot at ambiguity €“ the whole thing is supposed to represent just how mental Patrick Bateman is, so it's only natural that director Mary Harron would've left us to make up our own minds about just how much of the chainsaw-wielding yuppie's escapades were all in his head. Well, I don't think it really needs too much debate €“ to my mind, Harron is so overt about it being a dream that all debate is pretty much hamstrung before it can come roaring out of the blocks. I mean, look at it €“ between the miraculously clean apartments, the fact Bateman can blow up police cars with a pistol and the ATM begging to be fed a stray cat, the argument is awfully weighed to one side by the amount of pitch-black comedy on display. It's obvious that Harron wanted us to come away as dazed and confused as her protagonist, and those who argue that the murders actually happened can wax lyrical about the fact no-one seems to know what the damn hell Paul Allen looks like, never mind a bevy of anonymous hookers, and that everything turns up roses for Bateman because of his position €“ though only implied in the film, the book makes clear that he's able to sit around all day and do sod all because he's got his position through nepotism €“ are fighting a losing battle against a cavalcade of evidence heavily weighted to the opposing view. I'd put this down to an error on Harron's part €“ she left the door ajar to invite debate, but there's just not enough evidence on balance to support the ending's claim to true ambiguity. If she hadn't been so blatant with the conclusion she wanted us to take away from Bateman's sorry life, this would've turned a great film into a classic, and saved it from a mention on this list.
Contributor
Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.