After The Sunset Movie Review:


How many jewel heist films do we need? Do we need another heist film with Pierce Brosnan?

“After the Sunset” chronicles what happens when Max Burdett (Brosnan), a shifty jewel thief gets away with the perfect crime and retires to the tropics with his lover, Lola (Salma Hayek). Along for the ride is disgraced FBI agent Stan Lloyd (Woody Harrelson), who brings Burdett a heist, he can’t possibly refuse. The question is Burdett suave enough to pull off this grand heist while Stan is looking? Will Lola work with Burdett on it?

The bantering between Brosnan and Harrelson is uproariously funny and makes a lot of the more dismal scenes bearable. This is probably the only enjoyable aspect of the film at all.

I felt really sorry for Salma Hayek who seems to be reduced to cleavage, cleavage and jiggles when after seeing her in “Frida” I know she can be such a great actress. Here we have a beautiful, talented and interesting actress who seemed to have overcome these kinds of roles. It is an utter shame.

I also felt sorry for Don Cheadle as the paradise gangster who has something to gain from Brosnan’s latest heist. The man is an amazing actor but here he is reduced to a cliché draped in nearly naked nymphets and sputtering useless laughable dialogue. I will have to wait and see “Hotel Rwanda” before I get to see a role worthy of the actor or so I assume.

There are so many things wrong with “After the Sunset” that it’s hard to find what I liked about the film. I wanted it to be clever and thrilling like Brosnan’s remake of the “The Thomas Crown Affair” was except this seems to be more of an after thought.

I was hoping to see more from all the talent and some exciting sequences from director Brett Ratner but instead I got nothing more than fizzle. I am talking “The Big Bounce” kind of fizzle. If anyone even remembers that film from earlier this year.

So Says the Soothsayer.



Dean Kish

Brett Ratner’s After the Sunset is a sexy film that has a beautiful tropical atmosphere, but that is about it. As a heist movie, this film is below modest with every surprise being seen from a mile away while lacking any cool or slick style.

Max Burdett (Pierce Brosnan) is a master jewel thief that with Lola (Salma Hayek), his girlfriend/partner in crime, have retired to an undisclosed Caribbean paradise. Trying to fit in as a normal couple and Lola hinting at marriage, Max is surprised one day by the arrival at his home of FBI agent Stan Lloyd (Woody Harrelson). Stan has been chasing Max for years and was last embarrassed in Los Angeles, when Max and Lola swiped a priceless piece that was under his surveillance. Dedicated and some what obsessed, Stan believes Max’s next big score is the Napoleon diamond, which is aboard on a nearby cruise ship. Max of course pleas that he is retired, which is until he makes a visit to see the diamond. An American gangster (Don Cheadle) then attempts to recruit Max to steal the diamond for him and Lola begins to question Max’s every decision. A local cop (Naomie Harris) joins forces with Stan as he cloaks Max and Lola constantly. The film then turns into a sub-par and typical heist movie, with Stan and Max developing a comedic bonding of getting what they want as well as sparing with their significant others.

Screenwriters Paul Zbyszewski and Craig Rosenberg conjure a few laughs, but fill the film with unwitty dialogue and blandness. Ratner tries to flare things up visually, such as placing the opening sequence during a Lakers basketball game and having the actors exchange dialogue while they are dancing. However, the end result of the film is one dull exchange after another in an uncool heist film. The moments that are supposed to be sharp and surprising do not work, especially with the double-crosses throughout. Ratner does not shy away from showing as much skin as he can without receiving an “R” rating. Salma Hayek’s cleavage is very visible in nearly all of her scenes and of course she takes off her clothes a few times for Brosnan. Brosnan and Harrelson are both shirtless throughout, which also includes unfunny accusations that the two characters are lovers. The jokes and notions of this film have been seen before and done far better.

Brosnan practically sleepwalks in another performance as a thief. After his dramatic turn in Evelyn, it seemed that Brosnan wanted to take on different roles, but he yet again plays a thief. Hayek is a lot better than her eye candy role as Lola, and after her great performance in Frida, it seemed that she would stop making these pointless choices. Harrelson delivers his typical notions as the FBI agent Stan Lloyd and Don Cheadle is the also wasted in his role as a gangster that wants the Napoleon diamond. 28 Days Later’s Naomie Harris also arises with a weak accent as a local cop that is also questioning Max’s intentions.

Within recent years’ success of Ocean’s Eleven and The Italian Job, it is clear that the heist genre is alive and well with moviegoers. However, After the Sunset is a lame attempt that is not necessarily awful, but not good either. Perhaps Brett Ratner should have worked on getting a better script, instead of focusing totally on visuals and his actors as sex objects. This film will soon be forgotten in a few weeks when Ocean’s Twelve hits theaters.

Bailey Henderson

After stealing the second of three Napoleon diamonds, right under the nose of his FBI nemesis Stan Lloyd (Harrelson), master thief Max Burdett (Brosnan) decides to retire to the Caribbean with his girl friend and partner in crime Lola (Hayek). Six months later he discovers that the final diamond is coming into port as the showpiece exhibit on a cruise liner but as the ship arrives on the island so does Agent Lloyd. Can Max control his temptation of stealing the last jewel or will he give in and complete his life’s work?

Whether he is a super spy or a gentleman thief, Pierce Brosnan is the epitome of suave sophistication but can he keep up his reputation in his latest big screen adventure?

Rolling in money, living the high life and having a beautiful girl on his arm is what Brosnan’s big budget persona is all about and After the Sunset does nothing to change that. No stranger to the master thief role, after playing it so successfully in ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, Brosnan plays Max Burdett with ease and still oozes style and charisma. The role isn’t much of a push for the actor but he creates a character that you cannot help but like and he makes it easy for you to get behind someone who is actually breaking the law.

Supporting him is arguably one of the most beautiful women working in Hollywood today, Salma Hayek. Setting the film in the Caribbean gives the filmmakers the chance to get her is some extremely tight clothes or virtually nothing at all. She has a magnificent body but she also has the acting talent to back this up. Even though she is incredibly gorgeous you never question her intelligence or ability as an actress as she creates characters that most people can connect with and instantly like.

The third main player is the underrated Woody Harrelson as Agent Stan Lloyd. He is an actor who has proved his ability in films like ‘The People vs. Larry Flint’ and ‘Natural Born Killers’ but he still doesn’t seem to get the higher profile roles he deserves. In ‘After the Sunset’ he returns to his comedic roots that served him so well in ‘Cheers’ by creating a character that is unintentionally funny. It is the chemistry between Brosnan and him that ties the film together, as their relationship changes from one of loathing to friendship and back again. Hopefully this will raise Harrelson’s profile again as he really needs to start showing some bouncebackability in his career.

In supporting roles, the always-excellent Don Cheadle is criminally underused but Brit actress Naomie Harris makes a strong Hollywood as local policewoman Sophie.

Director Brett Ratner continues his trend of producing entertaining popcorn movies. His movies never really push the cinematic envelope, even when he has more complicated material (such as Red Dragon) but you cannot call any of his films dull. He does get good performances out of his actors and they always look good but he really needs a movie that will start you thinking of him as a director to watch.

After the Sunset is a good piece of popcorn entertainment. The three main characters are good and the movie looks great in it Caribbean location. The heist plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing but the ending is not as satisfying as it could have been. There is enough here however to steal your attention for the full one hundred minutes but don’t expect it to be a cinematic jewel.

Jamie Kelwick

 

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