The world has always had an interest in serial killers. They present something different than what the typical “bad guy” usually has to offer. People are terrified, yet sometimes intrigued, by theses criminals. Occasionally in movies and television, the viewer gets to go into the shoes of the villain to get a better perspective on them. Two of the most interesting serial killers in recent history are Christian Bale’s sophisticated lunatic Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho” and Michael C. Hall’s noble maniac Dexter Morgan from “Dexter”.
Intelligence– Dexter When Dexter kills; he’s a man on a mission. He puts deep research into preparing his murders. He never goes in blindly and he follows a code. His number one rule is never to get caught and he’s very good at it. He performs his kills in enclosed containments. As a blood splatter analyst, he knows never to leave even a tiny speck of blood. He also disposes the bodies in the ocean where he believes they won’t be found (little does he know). Bateman, even though he went to great schools, is a lot sloppier. Instead of using plastic tarps to execute his dirty work, he uses newspapers to do the trick. Also Bateman doesn’t quickly get rid of the evidence and sometimes keeps a head as a keepsake. Not smart!
Executions– Bateman Dexter kills in a conservative efficient way. His tools of the trade are mostly knives nothing fancy. In contrast, Bateman has style. Whether it is chopping people in half with axe or chasing someone with a chainsaw covered in blood, Patrick knows his theatrics. Dexter treats his murders like work. Where as Bateman looks as he is having a good time while he is giving you a review on his favorite musicians like Huey Lewis.
Heart of Gold– Dexter You are probably wondering how is it possible to see if a mass murderer is good or bad. And that would be logical since killing is immoral but you have to look at these madmen’s motives. Bateman kills out of jealously. He kills Paul Allen due to the fact he believes Allen has got it better than him because of such things as the Fisher account. He doesn’t have morals and kills innocent people. Dexter has rules and only goes after bad people. He would rather go after a convicted rapist than a helpless hobo. Also Dexter cares for other people and doesn’t live in his own self-absorbed world.
Character– Tie Dexter loves his girlfriend Rita and cares for her two kids acting as a father figure. He has a very close relationship with his sister Deb and father Harry. He is also shown as being friendly with his co-workers. He is very personable and a great guy to hang out with. He goes through many problems with people at work and home including another woman and being stalked by another serial killer. He also has the occasional struggle of dodging the cops. Michael C. Hall plays this character perfectly and shows all of Dexter’s range of emotions from humor to guilt.
Christian Bale also excels in his performance of Bateman. Bateman so badly wants the American Dream. He will do anything to get it. Bale is terrifying when he talks right before the kill. He scares you to death yet there is a part of you that is somewhat attracted to such an interesting person. In his confession, Bale performs with infallibility such a difficult scene to pull off.
Both are great and entertaining to watch. It’s really a coin toss to see who is better. Both are great at doing what they do best. Dexter is great for people looking for a more realistic and relatable character. Bateman is great if you want to turn reality off and just have a fun time.
