American Psycho 2 | |
---|---|
Directed by | Morgan J. Freeman |
Screenplay by | Alex Sanger Karen Craig |
Based on | Characters by Bret Easton Ellis |
Produced by | Ernie Barbarash |
Starring | Mila Kunis William Shatner |
Cinematography | Vanja Cernjul |
Edited by | Mark Sanders |
Music by | Norman Orenstein |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Lions Gate Home Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United States [1] |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million |
American Psycho 2 (also known as American Psycho II: All American Girl) [1] [2] is a 2002 American slasher film directed by Morgan J. Freeman from a screenplay by Alex Sanger and Karen Craig. Starring Mila Kunis and William Shatner, it is a stand-alone sequel to the film American Psycho . [3] Kunis portrays a criminology student who seeks to advance her career by murdering her classmates.
The screenplay for the film, entitled The Girl Who Wouldn't Die, originally had no association with American Psycho. [4] After production began, the script was altered to connect the film with the original. [5] American Psycho 2 was released direct-to-video on June 18, 2002. It was also denounced by Bret Easton Ellis, the author of the original novel, and Kunis later expressed regret for the film. [6] [5]
In 1993, a twelve-year-old girl accompanies her babysitter on a date with serial killer Patrick Bateman. After Bateman kills and starts to dissect the babysitter, the girl kills him with an ice pick. Six years later, the young girl, Rachael Newman, is now a college student studying criminology at a Washington university under Professor Starkman, a former FBI agent. Rachael aspires to join the FBI and is determined to get the coveted teaching assistant position under Starkman, which would make her a shoo-in for the FBI training program in Quantico, Virginia.
After secretary Gertrude Fleck rudely dismisses Rachael's application for the teaching assistant position on the basis that she is a freshman, Rachael follows her home and bludgeons her to death. Determined to succeed, Rachael proceeds to kill off any of her peers that stand as competition, starting with Brian Leads, whom she drugs and murders during a proposed sexual encounter. Next, she murders Keith Lawson, a bookish classmate, while he studies late one night in the university library. During her killing spree, Rachael decides to see the school psychiatrist, Dr. Eric Daniels. Realizing that Rachael is a textbook sociopath that is obsessed with Starkman, Daniels tries to warn Starkman without revealing Rachael's name due to patient confidentiality. Starkman mistakenly assumes that the student obsessed with him is Cassandra Blaire, with whom he is carrying on an extramarital affair. When Cassandra reveals that her affair with Professor Starkman has guaranteed her the teaching assistant position, Rachael decides to murder her as well, staging her death as a suicide. Professor Starkman discovers Cassandra's body and calls Daniels to tell him that "she's dead". He does not identify the victim and Daniels assumes it must be Rachael. Distraught, Professor Starkman withdraws from the university, which incenses the obsessed Rachael.
That night, Rachael locates an intoxicated Starkman in his office, impaired by the effects of Valium and alcohol, and tries to seduce him. However, Starkman sees she is wearing a dress and necklace he had given to Cassandra. She then confesses her crimes to him, her "crush" on him, and that she knew about his affairs with various women (which included her former babysitter that Bateman murdered), as he backs up towards the window in a state of confusion and fear. Rachael blows him a kiss, and he falls out the window to his death. As she leaves, Rachael also murders a janitor and a security guard because they witnessed Starkman's death.
On the last day of classes before spring break, Rachael's parents make a surprise visit to her at her dormitory. She quickly ushers them out, agreeing to meet them for dinner later that night. That same night, while treating his elderly mother to a night out, Daniels observes Rachael with her parents at a local restaurant.
Daniels becomes suspicious, since he believed Rachael was dead, and after dinner goes to the local police station to ask the police officers about any recent missing persons cases. Through a flashback, it is revealed that 'Rachael' is in fact an imposter who killed the real Rachael at the beginning of the semester and assumed her identity, storing the real Rachael's corpse in a garment bag in her dormitory closet. The real Rachael was an orphan, so when Rachael claimed to be her, there was no one to disprove her claim.
Daniels and two cops pursue Rachael in a car chase, which ends with Rachael driving off a cliff, resulting in the car exploding. At this point, she is presumed dead.
Two years later, Dr. Daniels is giving a lecture on Rachael's mind and how he wrote a book about her. When he looks up from speaking with a student, he sees Rachael, who has not died after all; she indirectly reveals that she killed Starkman's last assistant, Elizabeth McGuire, and stole her identity to get into Quantico FBI Academy. She allows Dr. Daniels to know because she believes there is no point in committing the perfect crime if no one knows about it and she is confident he will not divulge this information because it would make a farce of his best-selling book in which he claimed to completely understand her and witness her death in the fiery car. The body that was in the car was the real Rachael, whose decaying body had been kept in the killer's dorm closet. It was revealed by another student that Rachael is the youngest agent to be drafted to the Bureau in her sophomore year. As Rachael walks out of his class, Dr. Daniels is visibly shaken by what he had just learned.
The screenplay for the film, entitled The Girl Who Wouldn't Die, originally had no association with Mary Harron's American Psycho (2000). [7] [8] After production began, the script was altered to connect the film with the original. [5]
In April 2001, it was announced that Mila Kunis and William Shatner had been cast in the film. [9]
Lionsgate president Michael Paseornek commented on the project: "Morgan J. Freeman is a talented director who we are convinced will make a film that will appeal to audiences from the late teens on up. And Mila Kunis is about to really break out. She has great timing for a dark comedy like this." [10]
Filming began in Toronto in May 2001 [9] on a budget of approximately $10 million. [11] The production was noted as having completed in late-June 2001. [12] Bret Easton Ellis, author of the novel American Psycho , expressed confusion about the film's billing as a sequel to Harron's 2000 film adaptation, though he noted at the time that he had sold the rights to the story, commenting: "I've even heard that [Lionsgate] were thinking about doing American Psycho in L.A., American Psycho in Las Vegas, and making a whole franchise out of it." [13]
American Psycho 2 was panned by critics. [14] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 11% based on reviews from 9 critics, with an average score of 3.00/10. [14]
Film critic Rob Gonsalves wrote, "American Psycho 2 wasn't even supposed to be an American Psycho sequel, for Christ's sake! Lions Gate noticed that the first film got critical acclaim and didn't do too poorly in theaters, so they dusted off an unrelated script and modified it to link it (tenuously) to the first film." [15] Almar Haflidason of the BBC awarded the film a two out of five star-rating, writing: "Imagine if the characters of the animated series Scooby-Doo were to turn on one another, and you'll be close to imagining the freakish American Psycho II. Resembling a Scream -styled take on serial killer thrillers, this stuck pig of a movie flails limply between bizarre comedy and pallid horror." [16] Entertainment Weekly 's Scott Brown similarly criticized the film, writing: "Unscary and unfunny, [it] still manages to inspire homicidal fantasies—most involving the slow dismemberment of once-promising indie director Morgan J. Freeman." [17]
The film was denounced by American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis the year before its release. [18] In 2005, Kunis expressed embarrassment over the film, and spoke out against the idea of a third entry. "Please—somebody stop this", she said. "Write a petition. When I did the second one, I didn't know it would be American Psycho II. It was supposed to be a different project, and it was re-edited, but, ooh … I don't know. Bad." [5]
Chris Alexander of ComingSoon.net defended the film in a 2017 retrospective, deeming it "a strange, entertaining and surprising little film. Bloody and funny and twisty and turny and Kunis pulls it all off. We like Rachel, despite her streak of remorseless and lethal evil. And the men and women who end up on the end of her knives, very often deserve it. Or at least are undone by their own unsavory antics." [19] TV Guide 's published review described the film as "occasionally amusing" and compared its structure to that of the similarly themed black comedy Getting In (1994), adding, "this horror lampoon; directed by indie up-and-comer Morgan J. Freeman; blithely ridicules FBI profiling, psychoanalysis and professorial sexual misconduct. It's less successful in its efforts to paint serial killers and their trackers as soul mates, and in the end this campy chiller crucifies the American success ethic with more vigor than elan." [20]
Though intended for a theatrical release, [9] American Psycho 2 was released direct-to-video on VHS and DVD by Lions Gate Home Entertainmment on June 18, 2002. [21] DVD extras included a feature commentary with director Freeman, star Kunis, deleted scenes, and a trailer. The film made its Blu-ray debut on September 5, 2017. It includes all of the DVD extras along with a digital copy. [22]
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris's 1988 novel of the same name. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is hunting a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film also features performances from Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, and Kasi Lemmons.
Edward Theodore Gein, also known as the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, was an American murderer, suspected serial killer and body snatcher. Gein's crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, gathered widespread notoriety in 1957 after authorities discovered that he had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned keepsakes from their bones and skin. He also confessed to killing two women: tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954, and hardware store owner Bernice Worden in 1957.
American Psycho is a novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, vain Manhattan investment banker who supposedly lives a double life as a serial killer. Alison Kelly of The Observer notes that while "some countries [deem it] so potentially disturbing that it can only be sold shrink-wrapped", "critics rave about it" and "academics revel in its transgressive and postmodern qualities".
Bret Easton Ellis is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a writer, is the expression of extreme acts and opinions in an affectless style. His novels commonly share recurring characters.
Christopher Ashton Kutcher is an American actor, producer and entrepreneur. Kutcher began his acting career portraying Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006). He made his film debut in the romantic comedy Coming Soon (1999), followed by the comedy film Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), which was a box office success. In 2003, Kutcher starred in the romantic comedies Just Married and My Boss's Daughter. That year, he created and produced the television series Punk'd, also serving as host for the first eight of its ten seasons. Kutcher starred in the science fiction film The Butterfly Effect (2004) and had a voice role in Open Season (2006).
Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and raised in Los Angeles, Kunis began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series That '70s Show (1998–2006) at the age of 14. She has voiced Meg Griffin on the Fox animated series Family Guy since 1999.
Patrick Bateman is a fictional character created by novelist Bret Easton Ellis. He is the villain protagonist and unreliable narrator of Ellis's 1991 novel American Psycho and is portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation of the same name.
The Rules of Attraction is a satirical black comedy novel by Bret Easton Ellis published in 1987. The novel follows a handful of rowdy and often promiscuous, spoiled bohemian students at a liberal arts college in 1980s New Hampshire, including three who develop a love triangle. The novel is written in first person narrative, and the story is told from the points of view of various characters.
Mary Harron is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.
The Rules of Attraction is a 2002 black comedy-drama film written and directed by Roger Avary and based on Bret Easton Ellis's 1987 novel of the same title. The film was distributed by Lions Gate Films. The story follows three Camden College students who become entangled in a love triangle; a drug dealer, a virgin, and a bisexual classmate. It stars James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth, Kip Pardue, and Joel Michaely.
Lunar Park is a mock memoir by American writer Bret Easton Ellis. It was released by Knopf in 2005. It was the first book written by Ellis to use past tense narrative.
Rat torture is the use of rats to torture a victim by encouraging them to attack and eat the victim alive.
American Psycho is a 2000 satirical psychological horror film directed by Mary Harron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner. Based on the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis, it stars Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, a New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer. Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon appear in supporting roles. The film blends horror and black comedy to satirize 1980s yuppie culture and consumerism, exemplified by Bateman and supporting cast.
Story of My Life is a novel published in 1988 by American author Jay McInerney.
American Psycho is a 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis.
Fictional portrayals of psychopaths, or sociopaths, are some of the most notorious in film and literature but may only vaguely or partly relate to the concept of psychopathy, which is itself used with varying definitions by mental health professionals, criminologists and others. The character may be identified as a diagnosed/assessed psychopath or sociopath within the fictional work itself, or by its creator when discussing their intentions with the work, which might be distinguished from opinions of audiences or critics based only on a character appearing to show traits or behaviors associated with an undefined popular stereotype of psychopathy.
Imperial Bedrooms is a novel by American author Bret Easton Ellis. Released on June 15, 2010, it is the sequel to Less than Zero, Ellis' 1985 bestselling literary debut, which was shortly followed by a film adaptation in 1987. Imperial Bedrooms revisits Less than Zero's self-destructive and disillusioned youths as they approach middle-age in the present day. Like Ellis' earlier novel, which took its name from Elvis Costello's 1977 song of the same name, Imperial Bedrooms is named after Costello's 1982 album.
American Psycho is a musical with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. It is based on the controversial 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, which also inspired a 2000 film of the same name, that starred Christian Bale. Set in Manhattan during the Wall Street boom of the late 1980s, American Psycho is about the daily life of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy young investment banker who is also a serial killer.
A Certain Hunger is a debut novel by writer Chelsea G. Summers. It tells the story of serial killer Dorothy Daniels, a successful food writer who also eats men. Published in print by Unnamed Press on December 1, 2020, A Certain Hunger was widely praised, drawing comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Bret Easton Ellis.
The Shards is a 2023 autofiction/horror novel by American author Bret Easton Ellis, published on January 17, 2023, by Alfred A. Knopf. Ellis's first novel in 13 years, The Shards is a fictionalized memoir of Ellis's final year of high school in 1981 in Los Angeles. The novel was first serialized by Ellis as an audiobook through his podcast on Patreon.
When I did the second one, I didn't know it would be 'American Psycho II.' It was supposed to be a different project, and it was re-edited