Martin Scorsese’s 1985 film After Hours tells the story of computer programmer Paul Hackett, who after a particularly mundane day, goes on a late-night excursion to connect with a stranger named Marcy. Paul’s patience and sanity suffer when he clashes with Marcy after the unsuccessful date. In this scene, Paul loses his patience with Marcy and pushes her away making a strange excuse as to why he has come to see her in the first place: Paul’s short trip into Soho turns into a surreal struggle when he loses his keys and his cash and can’t find a means of transportation home. He encounters a strange array of unsympathetic characters as he traverses the fashionable SoHo neighborhood trying to collect himself. In this scene, Paul tries to buy a subway token from an uncompromising subway cashier: The dialogue exhibits an unusually slow brand of anarchic humor and the noir shooting style turns New York City into a playground for the disenchanted and makes for an unusually dark comedy. After Hours is a fun film and an interesting portrait of SoHo in the 80s.

After Hours has recently been released by The Criterion Colletion on DVD and BLU-RAY. After Hours

After Hours is also featured in Billups Allen’s book 101 Films You Could See Before You Die: available through Goner Records.

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