After Hours (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]

Description

Desperate to escape his mind-numbing routine, uptown Manhattan office worker Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) ventures downtown for a hookup with a mystery woman (Rosanna Arquette). So begins the wildest night of his life, as bizarre occurrences—involving underground-art punks, a distressed waitress, a crazed Mister Softee truck driver, and a bagel-and-cream-cheese paperweight—pile up with anxiety-inducing relentlessness and thwart his attempts to get home. With this Kafkaesque cult classic, Martin Scorsese—abetted by Michael Ballhaus’s kinetic cinematography and scene-stealing supporting turns by Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, Catherine O’Hara, and John Heard—directed a darkly comic tale of mistaken identity, turning the desolate night world of 1980s SoHo into a bohemian wonderland of surreal menace.DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURESNew 4K digital restoration, approved by editor Thelma Schoonmaker, with uncompressed monaural soundtrackOne 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special featuresNew program featuring director Martin Scorsese interviewed by writer Fran LebowitzAudio commentary from 2004 featuring Scorsese, Schoonmaker, director of photography Michael Ballhaus, actor and producer Griffin Dunne, and producer Amy Robinson, with additional comments recorded in 2023Documentary about the making of the film featuring Dunne, Robinson, and SchoonmakerNew program on the look of the film featuring costume designer Rita Ryack and production designer Jeffrey TownsendDeleted scenesTrailerEnglish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingPLUS: An essay by critic Sheila O’Malley Review: After Hours - Revisited in 4K (Finally!) - This review specifically covers the 4K Criterion Collection version of After Hours. When I was young, I was a huge fan of Cheech and Chong. I saw all their movies and listened to every record. My friends and I thought they were the funniest, so when we saw they were in a new movie, we had to go. Little did we know that—even though their roles are critical to the story—they’re barely in the movie. However, that almost-accidental viewing ended up being singlehandedly responsible for maturing my taste in movies. During the film’s runtime, I found myself curious about Martin Scorsese and wanted to see more of his work. Not only that, but I also became increasingly interested in moviemaking as an art form. I wanted to know how movies were made. I wanted to understand what editors and cinematographers did. That curiosity led me to revisit movies I already loved and look more closely at who did what. After Hours also introduced me to actors like Griffin Dunne, John Hurt, Teri Garr, Rosanna Arquette, and Catherine O’Hara. For years, home viewing of this movie was limited to a poorly transferred VHS tape and then a standard DVD (which was hard to find). Recently, I’ve started revisiting some of my favorite films through the Criterion Collection, so when I saw they had released a 4K version of After Hours, I had to check it out. Before I talk about the movie itself, I think it's worth taking a moment to discuss this 4K edition. Being old and unburdened by memory, I can’t recall the quality of the film when I saw it at 13, but I can compare it to other home video editions. The DVD version I’ve owned for years is a dull, lifeless transfer that clearly lacked care—I suspect it came from the same dupe master used for the VHS. I always assumed the muted, dim look was part of the film’s dark comedic tone. But the Criterion version pops. The colors are rich and stand out against the nighttime backdrop of New York City. The many close-ups of Paul Hackett and the other characters reveal natural skin tones and impressive clarity. Outfits like Teri Garr’s ‘60s-inspired getup practically leap off the screen. As the movie progresses, the details in Paul’s worn, dirty, and wrinkled jacket come through in ways I’d never noticed. Even the soundtrack is improved—Bad Brains’ music in the club scene booms with energy, perfectly highlighting the chaos of Paul’s escape from an involuntary mohawk, while Scorsese himself makes a cameo operating the spotlight. I imagine this presentation would please Mr. Scorsese—it makes the film more accessible to new audiences. Its pacing still works for modern viewers, and now, visually, it does too. At its core, After Hours is a boy-meets-girl story. Paul (Dunne) meets Marcy (Arquette) in a coffee shop, and they discuss Henry Miller before he feigns interest in her artist roommate’s plaster-of-Paris bagel-and-cream-cheese paperweights—just to get Marcy’s phone number. That sets off a surreal journey through New York’s streets, populated by characters you’d only meet after hours. The story kicks off around midnight on a weekday and runs until the following morning. It’s a dark comedy—but one of the lightest dark comedies I’ve seen. It’s accessible, allowing for out-loud laughs instead of just knowing chuckles. After the date goes completely off the rails, Paul begins a desperate journey back uptown with no money, and everything that can go wrong does. After this most recent viewing, I did some research and found theories about deeper meanings—allegories likening the film to The Odyssey or even to Jesus’ journey through the Stations of the Cross, with a “why me?” moment as Paul falls to his knees in the middle of a SoHo street. While I don’t see it as a direct retelling of Christ’s story or Christian mythology, I do appreciate the idea that it’s a parable of descent, trial, death, and rebirth. Paul being encased in papier-mâché could symbolize a crucifixion and entombment—followed by resurrection when he’s dumped out of a van right in front of his office building, where the story began the day before. After Hours might be the least-known Scorsese movie, but it doesn’t deserve that fate. It features great performances, sharp dialogue, and fascinating imagery. It’s the funniest of his films and, in my opinion, one of the most purely enjoyable since Italian American. Let’s spread the word! — Dave Carey 7/23/2025 Review: Great film - Great 4k transfer — a much-needed upgrade.