Sick Product of a Sick System

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

. . . AFTER HOURS must have seemed like pure drivel. This tedious sequel to MEAN STREETS seems to drag on aimlessly for two or three times its length by the clock. If mentioned in the same breath with THE RAGING BULL or TAXI DRIVER, film students would bet their bottom wooden nickel that director Martin Scorsese had suffered a stroke or lobotomy (perhaps both!) prior to releasing AFTER HOURS. But it's said that Warner Bros. works in Mysterious Ways, and we now know that America's Extreme Early Warning System was actually focusing its far-sighted energies upon providing a cautionary AFTER HOURS tale for We Citizens of (The Then) Far Future. Serial woman-abusing snoop deadbeat "Paul Hackett" is NOT foretelling the upcoming misdeeds of Bill Cosby (too pale), Bill Clinton (too Northern), or Harvey Weinstein (too thin). No, it's clear that Manhattanite Paul--with his mangled hair-do, unwillingness to pay cab or subway fares, and misogynistic woman-hopping ways--represents none other than the Bane of Modern America, Manhattanite Don Juan Rump, as Rump was then, is now, and ever will be. The last third of AFTER HOURS is more of a personal warning to Master Rump himself, as a lynch mob of wised-up citizens pursues his stand-in Paul to deliver long overdue Justice!

I was 13-years old when this film came out and for whatever reason, it absolutely clicked with me and I became kind of obsessed with it. It was around this time that I started to notice film directors and the visual flair Martin Scorsese brought to this picture dazzled me, as did the offbeat story. Taking place within the space of one evening in Soho, Griffin Dunne calls up a woman, Rosanna Arquette, for a date who he just met at a diner. From there his evening becomes a series of strange interactions with the color, offbeat, and downright strange denizens of NYC at night. Dunne is the identifiable "normal" everyman character who just wants to go on a date but instead finds his money flying out a cab window, buying weirdo pop art from Linda Fiorentino, befriending a 1950s refugee, Teri Garr, awkwardly finding himself helping Arquette's ex-boyfriend, John Heard, and that's just the beginning. From there it just gets weirder as he runs into other colorful characters played by Cheech & Chong, Catherine O'Hara, Verna Bloom, Will Patton, Victor Argo, and the great Dick Miller. Scorcese's "comedy" nearly becomes a horror film in the mold of "Repulsion" or the "Tenant" with Griffin Dunne's evening turning into something of a surreal comic nightmare. "After Hours" was part of the cycle of "Yuppie Nightmare" films, which included the likes of "Into the Night," "Something Wild," or even "Blue Velvet," a somewhat forgotten sub-genre. Kudos also go to Howard Shore for his fine score and to Michael Ballhaus to his dizzying photography. Overall, this is Scorsese's most "1980s" of films and I think one of his most underrated, very much worthy of it's cult status.

What if Martin Scorsese (Who is one of the greatest directors of all time in Mystery, Crime and Thriller genres) would like to grab some comedy stuff?The answer is After Hours, brilliant and disastrous story from beginning to end..A script based on misfortune, this is a movie which flows rapidly..I don't remember any other movie character except Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne), who had to face so much trouble in such a short period of time.This is a excellent black-comedy stuff..Because the script's delirious fiction and mind-blowing influence, it's nearly impossible to notice the time passed watching it..This movie is one of Scorsese's most hilarious and unusual works in 80's along with The King Of Comedy..I recommend it to all the people who enjoy the dark sense of humor..

"After Hours" bristles with its own distinct energy, which is partially why I love this movie. Even the quiet scene are riding a caffeine buzz and that only ices a cake this absurd. It boasts a pretty great cast, each bringing their own brand of crazy to the table (Catherine O'Hara's my favorite, inciting a lynch mob in her Mister Softee truck). Watching this movies is like stumbling into someone's fevered dream. It's not just that Griffin Dunne can't get back home, but all of these ridiculous situations are bizarrely connected. If it ain't one thin, it's another with this movie. And just when you think there's nowhere left to go with this story, Scorsese flips the tables yet again (once more down the rabbit hole).It's madness, but thoroughly entertaining.8/10