After Hours (1985)

After Hours (1985)

The 1980’s was an interesting decade for Martin Scorsese. After Raging Bull, the director made quite a few films this decade-including After Hours. These films are, sometimes unfairly, categorized as minor Scorsese films. They are not Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, but they are still solid-to-great films. It took me some time to get my head wrapped around this film, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just like 1983’s King of Comedy, Scorsese attempted to blend dark comedy and satire with his features and did so with relative success. Like all of his pictures, Scorsese continues to tell tales about New York City. As a New Yorker, he is the right man for such authenticity. Is there any city in the world other than New York which would allow a mob to form over a simple act of thievery? Most likely not! Still, we are treated to a very angry ice cream truck lady.

Are you one of those people who believe that you have such bad luck and what could go wrong, does go wrong for you? If so, you may find Griffin Dunne’s main character very relatable as he suffers everything from rising subway prices to sexual advances being turned down consistently. It is definitely a character that a film maestro like Scorsese would understand. This sort of film is part of a subgenre called “yuppie nightmare cycle” which combines two film genres- screwball comedy and film noir. Yeah, you’ll be laughing and feeling sorry for Paul Hackett and his misfortunes, but do not be surprised if you are clinching your armrest with such ferocity during the many intense sequences.

Scorsese nearly did not make the picture, as Tim Burton held high interest in filming the story, which was written by film student Joseph Minion. Scorsese, at the time, was in production with The Last Temptation of Christ, which was his baby. Paramount was giving him hard financial issues, which made him put that film on the backburner. He turned to independent studios and learned about this story through Dunne and his production partner, Amy Robinson. He decided to direct the film which gave him a much-needed respite from the pressures of filming his baby. Even though this is a smaller film, you can tell it is a Scorsese film. People would often compare this film to a Coen Brothers film, both of whom were getting their feet wet in Hollywood at the time.

Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is a lonely man and is fed up with feeling that way. After he finished work, he meets Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) at a coffee shop. He earns her phone number. When he calls her, he is invited to her apartment where she rooms with a rather kinky artist, Kiki (Linda Fiorentino). From there, his night takes a turn for the worse. His mission is to get home, but it seems like New York City refuses him to go home as he faces angry cabbies, a waitress (Teri Garr) and an ice cream truck lady (Catherine O’Hara) who form a mob against him, a bartender (John Heard) who is not surprised about what is happening anymore, rising subway fare, and the list goes on and on. What does poor Griffin have to do to end his misfortunes?

To no one’s surprise, the performances are excellent all the way around. Griffin Dunne really impressed me and certainly made his character relatable. His way of delivering black humor in the dialogue is awesome. Rosanna Arquette was a great find! Out of all the female performances, hers was the best. I mean, how can you deny a performance when she uses The Wizard of Oz to describe sex from her former husband. John Heard, as the indifferent bartender, is fantastic! Even going to the extreme minor roles (Dick Miller as a waiter) has its purpose.

On the whole, give this film a watch. The film blends comedy/satire effectively while ramping up the pressure moments. The intensity is so high, I felt like exploding at times. I actually felt, perhaps, the film could have been too intense for its own good. The pacing is incredibly fast. You will see plenty of Scorsese-isms throughout. You see the smoke rising from underneath the sidewalk? Yep, shades of Taxi Driver there. And of course, he continues to explore the city of New York in his films which older residents may view as a documentary. Like all of his movies, the film is tightly-edited (Thelma Schoonmaker), has explorative camera movement (Michael Ballhaus), and boasts a great soundtrack (Howard Shore). As a “minor” film, Scorsese used this feature to continue his growth as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.

My Grade: B+