After Hours (1985)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Joseph Minion (written by)

Release Date:

13 September 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

What is the very worst night you ever had...? [UK Video]

Plot:

An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho whom he met that evening at a coffee shop.

Plot Keywords:

Coffee | New York | Mob | Suicide | Bouncer

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Griffin Dunne	...	Paul Hackett
Rosanna Arquette	...	Marcy Franklin
Verna Bloom	...	June
Tommy Chong	...	Pepe (as Thomas Chong)
Linda Fiorentino	...	Kiki Bridges
Teri Garr	...	Julie
John Heard	...	Thomas 'Tom' Schorr
Cheech Marin	...	Neil
Catherine O'Hara	...	Gail
Dick Miller	...	Diner Waiter (Pete)
Will Patton	...	Horst
Robert Plunket	...	Street Pickup
Bronson Pinchot	...	Lloyd
Rocco Sisto	...	Coffee Shop Cashier
Larry Block	...	Taxi Driver

Also Known As:

A Night in SoHo (USA) (working title)
Lies (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:7 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM14 | Peru:18 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

128 Spring Street, Soho, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Geffen Company, The

Trivia:

The building used for Hackett's office building is the Met Life Tower near Madison Square Park.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The sound of a mousetrap snapping shut in Julie's apartment is clearly that of an empty one with the sharp sound of the metal trap bar loudly making contact with bare wood. The sound of one snapping down on an actual mouse would make more of a dull thump rather than a loud clack.

Quotes:

[after witnessing a murder through a window]
Paul Hackett: I'll probably get blamed for that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dawson's Creek: After Hours (#5.21)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Over the Mountain and Across the Sea

Still Great After All These Years

I saw this when this first came out about 19 (!) years ago, and it became my favorite movie of 1985, and probably my favorite Scorsese film ("Goodfellas" is right there with it). However it always seemed that I was the only one who felt that way. It was no sensation at the box office (even by art film standards), it was ignored by all the awards as far as I remember, and no DVD release.

Until now. First off, I am happy to report that the new DVD release looks and sounds great. It feels like the film came out last year.

Now, years down the road, you really appreciate how accomplished "After Hours" is in the wake of 100s of inferior indie releases that ape the urban paranoia and "downtown" sensibility that this seems to effortlessly catch. The film is pitch perfect:you sense a filmmaker in complete command, but the film is always off balance (as intended). The plot seems to flow randomly and the movie always defies your expectations, yet it's as tightly assembled as a jigsaw puzzle.

It's easy to catch the Scorsese style of shooting and editing, really starting to roll here (before taking off in "The Color of Money" and "Goodfellas"), as the engine of the movie. You have to remind yourself that every other director was not trying to make movies this way at this point (1985), and that you are watching the inventor, not just the best practitioner.

But don't overlook the cast's contributions. Perfectly cast down to the smallest roles (yes, I mean you Dick Miller), few things are more enjoyable than watching an able cast take the ball and run with it. Obviously having a blast, they not only jump into their parts, but they have no hesitation at being unlikable and annoying. Particularly Griffin Dunne, the perfect Everyman, who becomes more and more of a jerk as the night wears on.