Marry Harron's American Psycho (2000) casts the young successful capitalist in the role of a brutal, relentless killer, with nothing but contempt for those who challenge his stature. Rivals are slaughtered and women are used as property, only to be discarded afterwards in the most violent way imaginable. Patrick Bateman, the titular killer, feels nothing towards other humans. His ability to relate to others has been squashed and replaced by pure ambition.
Bateman is a snarling territorial beast. He has sacrificed his humanity for success. Though he has all the makings of a good businessman, he is only an imitation of a man. He has been consumed by capitalism, a drive to not only make money, but to retain a decadent level of personal pleasure and comfort as well.
Through this, Bateman is a perversion of the American Dream. Bateman's money and comfort does not afford him any happiness, just a drive to stay on top, no matter what. In this quest, he does not disregard human life as much as he despises it. He murders the homeless solely based on their stature in society. To Bateman, failure is the greatest sin imaginable, and charity is sinful. This is an extreme view of capitalism, of course, but it is not wholly unwarranted. Bateman places the needs of himself as an individual above the needs of the masses.
Not a single character with money is painted in a positive light in Psycho. Bateman's contemporaries and girlfriends are all corrupted and, in a sense, pitiable, in their inability to escape the wheel of their desires. Money brings power which brings more money and so on, until there's nothing left but cheap highs and emotionless ambition. In Psycho, capitalism requires sacrifice: The sacrifice of others, the sacrifice of happiness, and the sacrifice of self.
It's important to note that American Psycho is not the story of a man's descent into monstrosity. Patrick is already a monster by the time we first meet him, but he's learned to hide it among others. This only adds to his grotesque nature. He walks among other humans, even though he feels no remorse or empathy, and this is what makes him so frightening. Unlike an outwardly monster like Caliban, Patrick is attractive to the naked eye, an alluring symbol of personal success that can tempt others with its promise of decadence--not unlike capitalism itself, which promises wealth and comfort to anyone willing to work for it. Patrick, of course, has not really earned his success. He was born into it, destined to become a monster.
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