After Hours: Quelle nuit de galère

This is one of Scorsese's lesser known films which is a travesty. Griffin Dunne plays a cubicle working blue collar- the type that was so rampant in the mid 80s, who accidently experiences a series of bizarre misadventures in New York City. This is not typical Scorsese fare and one reason it works is because of the legendary filmmaker's deft skills- the atmosphere is amazing as is the pacing of the film. The protagonist is relatable in an everyman lost and confused kind of way. Like a bad dream or surreal experience After Hours is one hell of a ride. As stated in the opening line of this review- it is a travesty that more people aren't aware of this film.

No one prepared me for this surreal, anxiety inducing chaotic nightmare of a night. What an thrilling ride this was!

Martin Scorsese has always been a master of kinetic filmmaking but After Hours is really where he starts cranking up the energy even more. This movie is simply alive in a way that most movies aren't. Everyone in it has a story to tell and we're ready to hear them all.

From the cocktail waitress who seems stuck in the 1960s to the ice cream truck driver who wears a rape whistle to the stoic bouncer outside the punk bar and of course the sculptor who lives under the bar and has no scruples about using live subjects, there are so many weirdos in this film it's fantastic.

I've seen plenty of New York movie but I'm not sure I've ever seen any make the city feel so oppressively large. There's a great sense of space in this film and it genuinely feels hopeless for Paul to try to get home, which could sound like a dumb premise for a movie until you see it handled here. The journey is downright epic and Scorsese uses every visual technique he learned in school to keep the tempo cruising through this long trip.

I wasn't bored for a second at any point during After Hours and you won't be either. This film is alive and Thelma Schoonmaker does maybe the best work of her great career at an editing bay. She should've gotten an Oscar nomination. This film is simply a master class in pacing.

This wasn't a big hit when it came out, but it should have been. Martin Scorsese is a master of creating atmosphere and exploring a specific setting, and he has proved that in movies like Taxi Driver and Gangs of New York. In this film he brings the SoHo of the early to mid 1980s to life in brilliant and surreal fashion. Griffin Dunne is a great Every Man character. You like him from the very first scene and you follow his adventures with excitement and dread. The tension in this film is also intense, and that is amazing for a light hearted comedy. I am always surprised to hear that people have not seen this movie, or that people don't like this movie. I urge all Scorsese fans to see it. It's one of his best, even though many critics did not like it when it came out. It's a cult hit, but it deserves to be more than that too. It's a masterpiece.

'After Hours' is a really dark, nightmarish comedy and is one of Martin Scorsese's most enjoyable films. Griffin Dunne is perfection as the computer operator who meets lovely but ditsy Rosanna Arquette in a diner and arranges to meet her late one night. His journey to downtown New York goes hideously wrong when he loses his taxi fare and spends the rest of the evening trying to get home. Along the way we meet feisty Linda Fiorentino, whimsical Verna Bloom, Gorgeous but hysterical Teri Garr and Dusty Springfield look alike Catherine O'Hara. We also get to witness suicide, murder, robbery and vigilante mobs in this tale of big city madness. The camera-work is stupendous and features every trick in the book. There is much to admire in this film and thankfully it now has a DVD release with a commentary by the Director and star.