The Surreal Rabbit Hole of ‘After Hours’ (1985)

“I just wanted to leave my apartment, maybe meet a nice girl. And now I’ve gotta die for it?!” Paul Hackett, 4:30am. Martin Scorsese's ‘After Hours’ (1985) is a melancholic, surreal thrill ride taking you deep into the empty recesses of 1980’s SoHo. Our host? Paul Hackett. A selfish, bumbling office worker with nothing to lose, except his pride. Paul gives into his temptations, going on an unconventional spiritual odyssey in the dead of night. Finding himself at the mercy of Marcy’s hometown, the wandering rabbit-hole of Downtown Manhattan. Following a web of consequences, decisions and a driving force to get back home. SoHo has NO plans on letting him leave. But what truly makes this underrated gem such an enticing, surreal nightmare? Let’s dive into it… #afterhours #martinscorsese #filmanalysis #filmessay #griffindunne #recommendation Film Analyses Playlist:    • Film Analyses   CTC Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:13 - Rough night, huh Paul? 03:10 - Just gonna get my keys, and go home 04:13 - Downtown, SoHo 05:26 - I feel like I'm gonna let loose or something 06:25 - Help! I hate this job! 07:43 - After Hours (1985) Credits: ‘After Hours’ (Directed by Martin Scorsese, 1985) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088680/ Paintings: 'Nighthawks' 1942 | 'Automat' 1927 | 'New York Movie' 1939 | 'Soir Bleu' 1914 | (ALL by Edward Hopper) Franz Kafka Artwork by Robert Crumb, Website: https://crumbproducts.com/?srsltid=Af... The Trial (Dir. Orson Welles, 1962) Before The Law by Franz Kafka The Castle Artwork by Bill Bragg, Website: https://www.billbragg.co.uk/The-Castle Franz Kafka, Letters to Milena New York, New York (Dir. Martin Scorsese, 1977) The King of Comedy (Dir. Martin Scorsese, 1982) Background Music: (In order of appearance) Ain’t That A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Quartet Midnight by Howard Shore La Bamba by Richie Valens Rags to Riches by Tony Bennett Angel Baby by Rosie & The Originals Roll Over Beethoven by The Sonics Sevillanas by Manitas De Plata Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Major, BWV 1068: Overture Johann Sebastian Bach. Tags: After Hours, After Hours (1985), Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Scorsese, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Suspense, Mystery, Tragicomedy, Drama, Review, Film Analysis, Film Recommendation, Analysis, Mr. Scorsese, Apple TV, Martin Scorsese Documentary, 2025, Mr. Scorsese 5 Part Documentary 2025, Franz Kafka, Retrospective, After Hours Criterion Collection, Ending Explained, After Hours Ending, Video Analysis, Thanks for watching :)