After Hours

"What do you want from me? What have I done? I'm just a word processor, for Christ sake!" After Hours is hands down my favorite Scorsese, and by a pretty long shot too. I love his big epics as much as anyone, but this one just hits in a way nothing else of his does. Griffin Dunne is absolutely sensational, the perfect mix of awkward, desperate, and sympathetic. You can’t help but root for him even as the night keeps spiraling further and further out of control. The supporting cast is incredible too, everyone Paul runs into feels both hilarious and terrifying at the same time, which is exactly the balance this movie thrives on. I honestly think this is one of the best scripts ever written. It’s so tightly constructed, with every little detail looping back around in ways that feel both inevitable and completely insane. I love how everything ties together, how every decision Paul makes just digs him in deeper, and how the tension just keeps escalating until it’s unbearable, but in the funniest, most entertaining way. On top of that, the score and cinematography are perfect. The camera movements, the way the city feels alive and hostile, the paranoia baked into every shot, it’s just masterful. The music matches the mood so well. The whole thing is a masterpiece of anxiety, absurdity, and dark comedy. I think this is Scorsese at his most inventive and most fun, and not even mentioning that it has arguably the best ending of all time. I can’t stop thinking about it, and honestly, fuck it, this is going in my Top 4. Sorry Barry Lyndon. Martin Scorsese Ranked