Lovesusti
The Worst Film Ever
Supelice
Dreadfully Boring
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Kyle Perez
When people mention great Scorsese films, I rarely hear "After Hours (1985)" come up as one of them. Following up The King of Comedy (1982), Scorsese created yet another offbeat story filled with tension and danger set against the juicy backdrop of New York street life in After Hours (1985). This film finds the perfect note in combing aspects of black comedy with a general sense of unease. Definitely NOT your typical Scorsese film.We've all had those bad nights; Maybe we missed that subway coming home from work or got showered with a puddle by that car driving by. But we'll forgive those nights after seeing what Paul Hackett endures - he's just your ordinary word processor and one night we find him reading his book in a Manhattan cafe. He meets Marcy, a seemingly normal girl who shows genuine interest in Paul. The two hit it off. Naturally. And Paul decides to see her later that night.Perhaps the first bad sign should have been the abnormally out of control cab ride he has. The cab flys so fast down the road that the only money Paul had on him for the night flys out the window. Little does he know of the series of problematic and life-threatening events that await him. We'll learn that he tries to escape but (in almost a perfect embodiment of 'Murphy's Law'), by one inexplicable happenstance after another, something will prevent him from doing so."After Hours (1985)" showcases Marty's true filmmaking skills - the beautiful tracking shots, the extreme close-ups, the dark and foreboding lighting; it's all there and brilliantly keeps the viewer in a state of paranoia and discontent. The story of Paul is like a Kafka-esque nightmare combined with the surrealism and peculiarity of a David Lynch film. A colourful array of characters, a strong visual style. And the perfect example of why Scorsese is one of the best living directors out there.
xtian_durden
A minor work from Scorsese, but remarkably underrated. This mid-80s film is an exercise of style and pure filmmaking from a director who was frustrated when his passion project was delayed again and again. Instead of letting his own disappointments absorb him, he focused all his energy in this low-budget dark comedy about one man's incredibly disappointing and ill-fated night in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. Working with skillful German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (a frequent collaborator of R.W. Fassbinder), the film was shot at night with a feeling of strange perplexity and a sense of paranoia that had occupied not only the effective actor Griffin Dunne but also the viewers, using crafty camera improvisations to make that effect.The film is thoroughly engaging and it works like a dream – it has no intention of explaining itself, and as the title suggests; it is meant to be watched after midnight.
John Brooks
Like it or not. This film does one thing really well. It does really, really well at catching your attention and never letting go of it. You can regard it as one giant attention-catching moment that is the whole film in its entirety, or a series of attention-catching spurts that somehow don't get formulaic and redundant.The events happening aren't even that interesting or brilliant, but they do so well at keeping you, the viewer, hooked and curious what happens next. At very, very least, even stripped of its symbols and what not, in its most plain viewing, this film must be considered an entertaining watch.Not being a Scorsese fan at all myself, the directing is really good. It conveys that sense of a Kafkaesque-nightmarish sort of feel and does really well at being straight to the point, and not dwelling too long on its weirdness. It's strange, original, but efficient. It is not self-indulgent or edgy like such films always are.It's also just the right length. The story of a man who can never get home, in a familiar but equally surrealistic environment, told in just the right amount of time, with just the right start and ending to it. Doesn't get cute with itself.Also, very good job from lead actor Griffin Dunne.Really well done. 8/10.
Python Hyena
After Hours (1985): Dir: Martin Scorsese / Cast: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, John Heard, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr: Underrated Martin Scorsese dark comedy about that counter to normality that provides a nightmare. Griffin Dunne plays software programmer Paul Hackett who is bored with life. He meets Marcy Franklin, played by Rosanna Arquette and a chance encounter turns into a trip to Soho where everything that can go wrong does. Dunne plays off the irritable nature of Hackett who discovers a dead body, has his head nearly shaved, and is pursued by a mob who believe that he is robbing apartments. Arquette as Marcy is sexy and mysterious leaving Hackett with nervous sexual tension. John Heard plays a bartender who offers to financially assist Hackett when he is stranded without subway fare. It becomes bizarre when he ties in when he receives a phone call tying an overdosed female to himself. Linda Fiorentino plays Soho artist Kiki Bridges who is roommates with Marcy, and into BDSM relationships. Teri Garr plays a feisty waitress whose bed is surrounded by mouse traps. Scorsese fills the film with intriguing comedic characters thus throwing Hackett into awkward pearl that ends brilliantly where it all begins. Beautiful locations and a theme of normality and consequences of venturing outside the comfort zone in those after hours where anything can and will occur. Score: 9 / 10
