Jim Jarmusch picks his “number one” movie of all time
Having made several uniquely brilliant contributions to the world of independent cinema, Jim Jarmusch is heralded as one of the champions of American film. With careful pacing, minimalist narratives and deadpan humour, he’s set himself apart from his competitors as one of the Western movie world’s most important names.
There’s a resistance of convention within Jarmusch that defines his filmography, and he consistently pokes at the existential themes that so often plague the human consciousness. Beginning with his first major film, Stranger Than Paradise, and including Dead Man and Paterson, Jarmusch’s oeuvre is littered with quality.
While Jarmusch’s films have provided so many cinema fans across the world with some of their favourite cinema moments, it’s also true that the director himself is a profound cinephile. After all, all the best artists possess a deep understanding of their medium, and in that respect, Jarmusch is no different.
During a feature with Rotten Tomatoes, Jarmusch named his favourite movies of all time, and after including the likes of Atomic Blonde, Let the Sunshine In, Female Trouble and Heaven Knows What, he turned his attention to his number one favourite movie of all time, a genuine classic of the turn of the millennium.
“My number one is American Psycho, 2000,” Jarmusch said. “A masterful adaptation of words to cinema by Mary Harron, an important American director and writer. She made Alias Grace, The Notorious Bettie Page, I Shot Andy Warhol, et cetera. This is adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel that was set in the 1980s.”
“And I think that the film resonates even more now than when it was made almost 20 years ago,” the director added. “Though at the time, it was called sexist filth by some. Christian Bale’s performance is brutally riveting, and the entire cast – Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, and Jared Leto – are all just really good.”
As Jarmusch notes, Christian Bale made a phenomenal performance in Harmon’s 2000 satirical slasher movie as the demented Wall Street banker Patrick Bateman from Bret Easton Ellis’ novel. The film provides a brilliant satire of 1980s yuppie culture and the obsession with consumerism that gripped America throughout the second half of the 20th century.
There’s a special version of Harron’s film that holds a special place in Jarmusch’s heart, a director’s cut that focuses even further on the despicable madness of Patrick Batman. He signed off, “There’s also an uncut ‘Killer Collections’ edition, which I would strongly recommend. It’s a great film.”
