Running time: 100 minutes
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle, Naomie Harris
Rating 5 out of 10
Baseball legend Yogi Berra could well have been talking about After The Sunset when he uttered his immortal line, "it's like deja-vu all over again." The ultra glossy crime thriller has a distinct air of familiarity to it. Without an original bone in its bronzed body, it's struck from the same mold that Hollywood frequently turns to when producing pure eye candy without a fresh idea to hand. The well worn formula involves taking a good looking couple (and they don't get much better looking than Salma Hayek and Pierce Brosnan), give them stylish (or in Ms Hayek's case very little) clothing, put them in an exotic location (the Bahamas), add a fall guy (Woody Harrelson), a bad guy (Don Cheadle), a slick robbery, some humour and voila!
After The Sunset is like the alcohol free Ramora cocktails served up in the film. It's brightly coloured, tastes sweet enough, but has no lasting effect. In its defence, After The Sunset is unabashedly frivolous. Director Brett Ratner, best known for helming the Rush Hour franchise, is under no delusions. He's not trying to reinvent the wheel, instead he is content to keep the mood light and the pace up. And if that doesn't do the job, then there are always plenty of gratuitous shots of Ms Hayek's voluminous chest.
Brosnan does what he does best, plays a suave charmer with a ready smile. His character Max Burdett is a notorious jewel thief, best known for conjuring cast iron alibis. Max is partnered romantically and professionally by the equally nimble-fingered Lola (Salma Hayek), but when he is shot by FBI agent Stan Lloyd (Woody Harrelson) during a robbery, the couple retire to the Bahamas to enjoy the good life. Inevitably the endless routine of sex, lobster and cocktails begins to lose its appeal. So when Lloyd shows up on the island with news of a famous diamond that is being exhibited on a visiting cruise ship, Max is tempted to come out of retirement, much to Lola's annoyance.
Ratner conceded that he was less interested in a sophisticated heist than the characters. Given there is nothing particularly innovative in the action sequences (save for a nice remote control car gimmick), it's probably just as well. The relationship between Max and Lola supplies the sizzle, but it's the one between Max and Lloyd that provides the humour. The two men enjoy a friendly rivalry as they try and outsmart each other, with Brosnan and Harrelson bringing a jokey feel to their scenes together. In fact there's a pervasive tongue-in-cheek mood to the whole proceedings. Even Don Cheadle's turn as the gangster Henri Moree is played with an esoteric wink.
After The Sunset seems an odd title. Not just because half the film sees the actors bathed in the flattering golden glow of sunset, but also because after the sunset it gets dark, and if there's one thing After The Sunset is not, it's dark.
After The Sunset is like the alcohol free Ramora cocktails served up in the film. It's brightly coloured, tastes sweet enough, but has no lasting effect. In its defence, After The Sunset is unabashedly frivolous. Director Brett Ratner, best known for helming the Rush Hour franchise, is under no delusions. He's not trying to reinvent the wheel, instead he is content to keep the mood light and the pace up. And if that doesn't do the job, then there are always plenty of gratuitous shots of Ms Hayek's voluminous chest.
Brosnan does what he does best, plays a suave charmer with a ready smile. His character Max Burdett is a notorious jewel thief, best known for conjuring cast iron alibis. Max is partnered romantically and professionally by the equally nimble-fingered Lola (Salma Hayek), but when he is shot by FBI agent Stan Lloyd (Woody Harrelson) during a robbery, the couple retire to the Bahamas to enjoy the good life. Inevitably the endless routine of sex, lobster and cocktails begins to lose its appeal. So when Lloyd shows up on the island with news of a famous diamond that is being exhibited on a visiting cruise ship, Max is tempted to come out of retirement, much to Lola's annoyance.
Ratner conceded that he was less interested in a sophisticated heist than the characters. Given there is nothing particularly innovative in the action sequences (save for a nice remote control car gimmick), it's probably just as well. The relationship between Max and Lola supplies the sizzle, but it's the one between Max and Lloyd that provides the humour. The two men enjoy a friendly rivalry as they try and outsmart each other, with Brosnan and Harrelson bringing a jokey feel to their scenes together. In fact there's a pervasive tongue-in-cheek mood to the whole proceedings. Even Don Cheadle's turn as the gangster Henri Moree is played with an esoteric wink.
After The Sunset seems an odd title. Not just because half the film sees the actors bathed in the flattering golden glow of sunset, but also because after the sunset it gets dark, and if there's one thing After The Sunset is not, it's dark.
