Review of After Hours (1985) by Derek D — 20 Jan 2009

Sure, everyone knows about Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull; but for those who want to see a darkly humorous take on New York this is for you. Scorsese turns the streets of New York into a hellish nightmare for a yuppie who just wanted a change in his humdrum life; one of my favorite lines is after he is being chased by a mob (don't ask), he falls to his knees and shouts to the heavens: "What do you want from me?! I'm just a Word Processor!".

So, Paul (Griffin Dunne) ventures late into Soho to meet up with a girl he met the previous night. From there, Paul is thrust into situations involving Paper mache art, bi polar waitresses, possible robbers, masochists, and a bartender with emotional problems.

while Dunne plays the straight man, the rest of the cast seem to be having a ball as the loony night people Paul meets. Scorsese also seems to be having a blast with the camera as in one scene where Paul takes a cab ride into Soho, the camera zips in and out of traffic, rapidly catching glances of the city streets while Paul tries to hold on for dear life back in the cab.

When you're watching After Hours, it's a different set of rules.