0
0
When I first saw the trailer for After the Sunset, I
couldn’t wait to see it. Pierce Brosnan as a smart, sexy thief who outsmarts the law
time and time again…sounds like The Thomas Crown Affair, right? Well, as it turns
out…not really.
In Sunset, Brosnan plays Max Burdett, a smart, sexy
diamond thief who, with the help of girlfriend Lola Cirillo (Salma Hayek), manages to
outsmart the law (namely FBI agent Stan Lloyd, played by Woody Harrelson) time and time
again. After their last ingenious heist, they agree to retire and get married—and they
head to the Bahamas to enjoy the sunsets from their own private deck.
One
day, Stan arrives in paradise. It turns out that the third Napoleon Diamond (the only
one that Max and Lola haven’t stolen) is making its way into port aboard a cruise
ship—and Stan wants to make sure that Max doesn’t steal this one. But Max wasn’t
planning to steal the third Napoleon Diamond. In fact, he didn’t even know it was going
to be in port until Stan told him about it. And while Max considers coming out of
retirement—just this once—Lola tries to convince him that it’s best to quit while they’re
ahead.
On the surface, After the Sunset is quite a bit like
The Thomas Crown Affair. Pierce Brosnan is smooth and sly, able to accomplish
major heists right under the noses of those who know he’s guilty—but just can’t
prove it. But After the Sunset lacks the genius of Thomas Crown.
Max’s robberies are impressive, but they’re not as brilliantly masterminded as Thomas’s.
And while Brosnan is his typical cool, suave self, he lacks some of his usual luster.
Woody Harrelson brings comic relief as the bumbling FBI agent who can’t
seem to get his man. He’s fun to watch (especially in the scene where Stan and Max go
fishing)—but, at the same time, he takes away from the classiness that you’d expect from
a Pierce Brosnan movie.
Salma Hayek, however, is a distraction. While she
adds an interesting twist to the story—both as unwilling partner-in-crime and persistent
girlfriend—it goes a little too far. Hayek whines a little too much and wears a little
too little to really add to the story.
Funny, but not hilarious. Smart,
but not ingenious. And with half-naked Salma Hayek thrown in as a distraction (though,
for some of you, of course, that might not be a bad thing…). After the Sunset is
light and entertaining and full of gorgeous tropical scenery—and it’s worth the price of
a Friday-night rental. But don’t expect to be blown away. If you’ve never seen
Thomas Crown, you’ll most likely enjoy Sunset. Those of you who have,
however, might be disappointed.
