Product Details

• Actors: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong, Linda Fiorentino
• Directors: Scorcese, Martin
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: August 17, 2004
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000286RNE
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,068 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This well-regarded cult film is a tense Kafka-esque tale concerning what happens to a likable computer guy who is in the wrong place at the wrong time in the city that never sleeps--New York. This is a New York infested with bizarre characters vividly brought to life by a once-in-a-lifetime cast. Griffin Dunne's wonderfully controlled comic performance as Paul Hackett is the glue that holds this increasingly surreal film together. Scorsese utilizes a full array of independent and underground film techniques, including special film speed manipulations, angles, and edits, deftly capturing the strange rhythms of an after-hours New York City. Many will find the jokes clever, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. Some, however, will find the film an excruciating series of staged circumstances setting up a sadistically cruel dark nightmare of horrors. And there are a few lines of dialogue so poorly written they remind you how unbelievable the thin story really is. But forgive the film these few lapses--overall it's a wild, surreal ride. The most offbeat character is the beehive-sporting, Monkee-obsessed neurotic played to perfection by Teri Garr. And the moment when Griffin Dunne uses his last quarter to play Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is" and dances with Verna Bloom while an angry mob searches SoHo for him is an inspired bit of lunacy. --Christopher J. Jarmick

Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 08/17/2004 Run time: 97 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars makes you wish scorsese would make more comedies, April 9, 2004

By	Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: After Hours [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Uptown east side guy finds himself in an entirely new world, even though it's on the same island of Manhattan. This is not a new theme but I doubt if I've ever seen it carried out as far as Scorsese's AFTER HOURS. Griffin Dunne is perfect as the Everyman from a safe neighborhood who, on the hunt for a date (Roseanne Arquette in a very eerie role), finds himself in the artsy/clubby/s&m world of SOHO and the West Village.

The result is a hilarious black comedy with great performances, including a cameo by Cheech and Chong. Scorsese' pacing is breathtaking and right on the money. One of my favorite moments is when a large group of would-be vigilantes try to chase down Griffin Dunne, and their "armored vehicle" is an ice cream truck. There is too much going on here to describe in one review. Just give this one viewing, and you'll be glad you stayed up late to watch.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scorsese's Masterpiece., March 22, 2000

By	Jason Stein (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: After Hours [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I remember seeing this movie on cable in 1987, and I remember thinking that it was great. I didn't even realize it was Scorsese at the time. Since then this film has become one of my favorites. A relatively unknown actor, Griffin Dunne, is the lead character of this midnight movie. It's basically the night in the life of your average pencil pusher. What happens to him in one night is hilarious. A dark comedy by Scorsese this is bound to be, and already is a classic. Most people haven't seen this film, but I think it's a must have for any movie collector. Unfortunately, it's still not available at this time on DVD. Soon, I hope. Look for great eccentric appearances by Rosanna Arquette, Teri Garr, John Heard and Cheech and Chong (their last film appearance together).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky Comedy From Scorsese, August 25, 2004

By	David Baldwin (Philadelphia,PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

After tackling heavy topics in his previous films, Scorsese made a departure from form and directed a comedy. But even for Scorsese, a comedy entails a word processor's date with a nice girl turning into an infinitely Kafka-esque nightmare where one bad episode follows another. I recall seeing "After Hours" at the time and considered it to be unlike any film I'd ever seen. It still holds up well. The only films akin to the work Scorsese has done here may be the work of the Coen brothers. Griffin Dunne is great as the harried lead and he is complemented with a great supporting cast. A minor criticism of the film is that the indignities heaped on Dunne may be a little overdone at times.