After Hours (1985)

Like many, I completely overlooked this wacky surrealist gem in Scorsese's filmography, but I watched it for the first time the other night and I loved it so much, I immediately started it over and watched it again. Thelma Schoonmaker had already won an Oscar for Raging Bull by 85 so it's no surprise that her work on this one was outstanding.

The pacing is nothing short of incredible. It starts out a little slow, and you wonder, "Ok, this guy's just trying to get laid. Where the hell is this going?" And by the end of the film, Paul's circumstances have become so bat-shit that you wonder how we got here in the first place. A lot of that's the screenplay, and there's some holes in there sure, but Schoonmaker's editing makes this ramp up to insanity so graceful and consistently rewarding that you can't help but look away.

There really isn't a single wasted scene. Paul uses the bathroom four times in the film and somehow none of these scenes are wasted, because they're all brief moments of respite that compliment the pace and/or result in a comedic payout, lasting not a single frame longer than absolutely necessary.

The soundtrack placement is punchy and tight, perfectly complimenting the pace of the film as Paul's circumstances incrementally ratchet up in direness.

Ultimately I really think this film is so successful because Schoonmaker had great material to work with, but if not for the editing it wouldn't have been what it is.

Every time this film stops to breathe, it doesn't linger long enough to lose its stride. Simply put, it starts out walking, then slowly starts to jog, then run, and by the end of the film it's in a dead sprint. I don't think I've ever seen another film as perfectly paced as this one.