MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Dark Comedy/Stars: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Thomas Chong, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Richard Cheech Marin, Catherine O’Hara, Dick Miller, Will Patton, Bronson Pinchot, Rocco Sisto, Larry Block, Victor Argo, Clarence Felder, Martin Scorsese/Runtime: 97 minutes
I think it is a fairly safe bet to make that if you take a look back at the majority of the iconic film directors in the past 6 decades of cinema, they all have one thing in common. That being they at the very least have one or two entries on their filmographies that don’t get nearly as much love as perhaps they ought to. Indeed, among other examples, Spielberg has 1941 and Hook, Coppola has Finian’s Rainbow, De Palma has Body Double and Raising Cain (not the inspiration for the chicken restaurant incidentally), Stone has Talk Radio and Salvador, and Lucas has the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy. The reason I bring this up dear reader is because it should come as no surprise to learn that even the equally as legendary as the aforementioned directors Martin Scorsese has a few entries on his own filmography that are worthy of being classified in this distinct category. Among his list however not only will you find such films as Silence, Bringing Out the Dead, Age of Innocence, and The Last Temptation of Christ, but also a slice of cinema from 1985 that I happen to be reviewing for you today dear reader. A film known as After Hours. Indeed this, I must be honest with you, is a slice of cinema that I have quite the distinct cinematic relationship of sorts with dear reader. This is because the first time I saw this I was 10 years old, it was 2 am, I had been up pretty much all day, and (as shocking as it might be to hear me admit) I could not make heads nor tails of what I was seeing. As a result, I got frustrated and turned to something more understandable in the shape and form of Volcano from 1997 (because clearly Tommy Lee Jones’ acting in that was better than a Scorsese movie…said no one ever). As time went on however, and I became more and more knowledgeable about cinema, I found myself getting a 2nd chance to watch this slice of cinema and see if what I had read and/or heard about it in the years following my first disastrous attempt was even remotely close to being accurate. Having seen it at least 3-4 times since that 2nd chance, I think you can put two and five together and determine just how well that 2nd time went. Indeed it might be a rather….odd to put it lightly entry in its masterclass director’s undeniably iconic filmography, but that just makes it all the more endearing in a weird way. Thus it might not be a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination nor is it for everyone, but with the aid of fairly solid work both behind and in front of the camera, After Hours is one delightfully darkly comical odyssey through a particularly eventful late night in 80s New York City that I promise you are not likely to forget anytime soon.
The plot is as follows: Taking place more or less over the course of a single night in the iconic locale of New York City, After Hours gets its intriguing story underway by introducing us to our main character who takes the form of a guy by the name of Paul Hackett. A guy who, among other attributes worth knowing about him, is a member of that distinct community known as computer data entry clerks yet who also could best be described as a zombie-style drone. This is because not only does Paul seemingly make his way through his work in a solitary daze, but also life in general. A fact that is soon made evident to us not by the fact that he is often the last to come stumbling out of the office at the end of yet another busy day nor is it even by how he spends the majority of his evenings blankly staring at his television as he mind-numbingly switches through the channels. Rather, it’s by the fact that, for all intents and purposes, our hero seems to have created quite the lonely yet extremely well insulated life for himself. Of course, it should come as no surprise to learn that tonight is the night where a slight crack will appear in that insulation. A crack that comes in the form of, whilst eating at that aforementioned café, we see Paul find himself actually striking up a conversation with a pretty blonde he crosses paths with by the name of Marcy Franklin. A woman who not only lets him know about how her roommate is a talented sculptor whose main creation is plaster-of-Paris paperweights that look like (of all things) cream cheese bagels, but who also leaves him her phone number. Sensing an opportunity, we see that our hero decides to, under the pretense of buying one of the aforementioned paperweights, give her a call later that night and is promptly invited to come over to her apartment located in the district of Soho. Upon hailing a cab outside his apartment to head over there however, we see that Paul is not merely going down to Soho in the hopes that he will try and succeed at scoring with this beautiful woman. Rather, he is (even if he doesn’t quite know it yet) taking the first steps of a rather unusual, surreal, and even nightmarish odyssey. One that will not only leave him inexplicably stuck in Soho, but also see him dealing with everyone including irate cab drivers, women who may or may not have a screw loose, friendly bartenders who are willing to lend a hand (if they can get the bloody cash register open), a pair of blundering burglars, rather eccentric artists, a mildly loony waitress, an extremely snobby bouncer, and a furious pack of people who are led by someone (naturally) driving an ice cream truck among others respectively. Thus can our hero find a way out of what has literally turned into a waking nightmare or is he doomed to just stay stuck in this night forever?
Now right off, it should be pointed out that the work done behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing is most assuredly top-tier in every sense of the word. This starts with, to no surprise, the work done by Scorsese at the helm and honestly he does an outstanding job here despite what he was going through at that particular time in his life from a professional point of view. Yes the take on New York City that Scorsese provides audiences with is very much unbalanced and tough as nails, as showcased by both Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, but even so it is his level of experience at providing his cast of talent with a rather distinct filming environment that permits them to just try anything and we’ll see what sticks that helps provide this slice of cinema with an attractive style that manages to both capture your attention as well as provide the narrative with both the swift tempo and the vital degree of ridiculousness that it operates with. Alongside that, we see that Scorsese is not the kind of director who is content to just observe what is going on at any moment in this film and do his directorial duties from “a safe distance”. Rather, he makes the wonderful creative choice to insert himself into the action as much as possible whilst also making his way to where the characters all interact with one another to such an extent that it’s almost like the camera manages to become an unseen yet vital character in this in its own right to say nothing of providing the film with a wonderfully chaotic kinetic energy all its own. Alongside Scorsese’s phenomenal work at the helm, this slice of cinema also features nothing short of exemplary and quite thrilling work from Michael Ballhaus in the cinematography department. Indeed not only does Ballhaus ensure that the camera is taken over by the same gleefully chaotic demon that the rest of the film seems to be possessed by right down to having it zip to and fro through an assortment of locales and even out of windows at points with a beaming and downright ferocious passion to it, but it is also his work that really goes quite a ways toward making this film really feel less a cinematic viewing experience and more like a waking nightmare albeit quite the intriguing one in that, unlike 99.9% of nightmares that we have all had at one time or another, you don’t really want this one to wrap up because you are so entrenched in the world that the film takes you and, much like its poor beleaguered hero, lures you into only to then proceed to not let you feel like leaving is an option let alone possible. Without a doubt in my mind however, the cornerstone on which the rest of the work done behind the camera is built upon would have to be the film’s screenplay written by Joseph Minion. Indeed Minion does a terrific job at not only making all of the characters in this waking nightmare both believable and yet with just the right hint of something off about them, but also at making their dialogue a delightful blend of quirky, witty, and yet also quite dagger-sharp when the situation calls for it. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in a wonderfully dissonant musical accompaniment from the immensely talented Howard Shore and strong work from the editing department as led by Thelma Schoonmaker among others, there is no denying the skill on display behind the camera in bringing this glorious cinematic nightmare to life.
Of course, it should come as no surprise to learn that this film would not work nearly half as well as it does if the work done by the cast in front of the camera didn’t measure up even remotely to the top-tier work done behind the camera. Thankfully, this is not an issue that this film is even remotely stricken with as every cast member in front of the camera really does manage to bring their A-game no matter how much or how little screentime they ultimately have in this. Without question, this starts with Griffin Dunne in the lead role and he is an absolute delight here. Indeed as Paul, Dunne not only makes this guy someone who is completely relatable and thereby worthy of following on this odyssey to say nothing of our sympathies, but he also does a terrific job at making this character one whose mannerisms and how he expresses himself to others are dictated by whatever misadventure he finds himself in at any given moment. As a result, Dunne does a phenomenal job at playing him less like a flesh and blood human being like you or I and more like a puppet whose strings are constantly being pulled to and fro by some unseen force much to the character’s ever-increasing frustration and exasperation. Alongside the wonderful work done here by Dunne, this slice of cinema also backs him up more than admirably with a truly game support cast of talent. Without a doubt this starts with Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and Best in Show among others) who is nothing short of terrifying in the role of Gail. Indeed if all you know of O’Hara is her comedic talents on SCTV then wow are you in for a surprise. I say this because, as this film’s equivalent to the creepy neighbor, O’Hara does a fantastic job at not only driving an ice cream truck, but also at slowly but surely manifesting a maliciousness that she intricately conceals under the disguise of genuine comedy. We also get a wonderful turn here from John Heard in the role of a seemingly affable bartender who Paul turns to for help at one point in the story that has a comedic bit with a cash register that is sure to leave you at the very least chuckling. Besides the two aforementioned talents, this slice of cinema also contains a highly engaging performance from Rosanna Arquette as the woman who sets the entire night’s events into motion for our poor hero. Indeed Arquette does a terrific job at constantly switching between flirtatious, giggly, quirky, and perhaps more than a wee bit off than she cares to admit to create a character that you can see how the main character might initially be enamored by only to quickly start to question if a potential fling let alone relationship with was worth pursuing. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate wonderful efforts from such screen talents as Teri Garr who easily could have been quite the (without going into spoilers) police sketch artist back in the day, Linda Fiorentino, Verna Bloom, Bronson “Balki” Pinchot, underrated character actor Dick Miller, Will Patton, and even iconic comedy duo Cheech & Chong respectively, it’s clear that this film might have a few issues, but this line-up of talent is by no means one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day is After Hours “85” a perfect and flawless slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Not by any stretch of the imagination. At the same time though, does that make this the worst thing that Scorsese has ever contributed to the world of cinema in general? Nah; truth be told I still think the work that qualifies for that particular “honor” would be when he voiced Will Smith’s boss in the 2004 animated movie Shark Tale. Wry observations aside dear reader, it should be noted that this slice of cinema is one that most assuredly is not going to be for every single one of you out there nor for that matter is it a film that, if I’m being honest, really is meant to. Rather, I think this is a slice of cinema that aims to synch up to the wavelength of a particular group of movie goers out there and give them a cinematic experience unlike many others they may have seen before. Suffice it to say then that if you are the kind of person who finds yourself asking if there is a point to this movie after having sat down and watched the first 30 minutes then nothing personal, but I really don’t think this is going to be a movie you will be able to list amongst your favorites to say nothing of one you can say that you enjoyed (kudos to you all the same however for actually making it to the 30 minute point). On the other hand, if you are the kind of person who right from the word go is able to synch up with the delightfully dark and twisted sense of humor that this slice of cinema is operating with then I definitely think you will find quite a bit to appreciate here. Thus it might not be one for every audience member out there to bring into their lives, but for those who are able to get onboard this particular crazy train then I think it can safely be said that, with the aid of brilliant work both behind and in front of the camera, After Hours is more than just an underrated entry in the filmography of one of the most brilliant helmers of his (or any for that matter) generation. Rather, it is also a wonderfully twisted, darkly hilarious, and chaos-fueled cinematic nightmare that you won’t mind immersing yourself in time and time again. Just make sure not to watch it before your own late night out on the town. Trust me: you will definitely thank me later. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give After Hours “85” a solid 4 out of 5.
