After finding Martin Scorsese to be a perpetual disappointment, I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed After Hours. Coming off one of my favorite comedic scripts I've encountered, written by Joseph Minion, this is a wild romp of an experience that didn't let up much at all. I've often found Scorsese's films to be loaded with pacing problems and while the final half hour or so here does drag a little bit it wasn't nearly as what I usually experience with his work.
The trim 97 minute running time flies by in a breeze, piloted by Griffin Dunne as a mild-mannered word processor who meets an attractive girl in a coffee shop (Rosanna Arquette, aptly matching that description) and experiences the worst night of his life when he goes to see her at her place. After Hours is quite possibly the ultimate late night comedy, loaded with eccentric and hilarious characters whose quirks are always entertaining rather than grating. Dunne's Paul Hackett falls down a descent into the madness of late night New York, the city which Scorsese earned his reputation depicting.
The director took on this film after his first attempt at The Last Temptation of Christ fell apart and you can really tell that he just wanted to let loose and have some fun, a feeling that translates easily to the audience. It's nice seeing him stretch himself into the comedic world and he succeeds to a point where I really wish we could see him attempt it more often. There's a rhythm to this film, a real pulse that drives it so well. Special note should be given to Howard Shore's really tremendous musical score, which plays such a vital role in giving the film it's simultaneously exciting and terrifying atmosphere.
As I said before, the time flies by and it's in large part due to how Scorsese orchestrates Hackett's mad journey. Watching it very late at night certainly only helped in increasing my strong enjoyment of the picture. I think that After Hours is most certainly the director's most underrated work, and as of now it's also my favorite of his career. Which was a welcome delight since to this point I had never come across a film of his that I was comfortable saying that in regards to.
The trim 97 minute running time flies by in a breeze, piloted by Griffin Dunne as a mild-mannered word processor who meets an attractive girl in a coffee shop (Rosanna Arquette, aptly matching that description) and experiences the worst night of his life when he goes to see her at her place. After Hours is quite possibly the ultimate late night comedy, loaded with eccentric and hilarious characters whose quirks are always entertaining rather than grating. Dunne's Paul Hackett falls down a descent into the madness of late night New York, the city which Scorsese earned his reputation depicting.
The director took on this film after his first attempt at The Last Temptation of Christ fell apart and you can really tell that he just wanted to let loose and have some fun, a feeling that translates easily to the audience. It's nice seeing him stretch himself into the comedic world and he succeeds to a point where I really wish we could see him attempt it more often. There's a rhythm to this film, a real pulse that drives it so well. Special note should be given to Howard Shore's really tremendous musical score, which plays such a vital role in giving the film it's simultaneously exciting and terrifying atmosphere.
As I said before, the time flies by and it's in large part due to how Scorsese orchestrates Hackett's mad journey. Watching it very late at night certainly only helped in increasing my strong enjoyment of the picture. I think that After Hours is most certainly the director's most underrated work, and as of now it's also my favorite of his career. Which was a welcome delight since to this point I had never come across a film of his that I was comfortable saying that in regards to.