After the Sunset

This is a somewhat entertaining cat and mouse thriller with Brosnan, Hayek and Harrelson at the top of their game. The film starts out promisingly enough with a diamond heist which is more slapstick than suspenseful.

After the heist Harrelson follows the pair to an island where he believes they plan another big job. As the two male characters get more closely acquainted throughout the film we start to wonder who's tricking who.

Brosnan displays rare emotion in this film. Harrelson escapes his Cheers role by excellently portraying the many sides of what would have been a simple character.Hayek doesn't miss a chance to show off her body, and Don Cheadle's villain was superb. The only problem with that character was that we didn't see enough of him.

The film has some nice scenery and entertaining scenes, particularly the shark capture.Rush hour director Ratner has made a great film, which only really lacks style and good pacing. this film would have been better handled in the reins of, say, Steven Soderbergh.

But nonetheless, a very funny enjoyable film which will please fans of the cast and crew, as well as the movie-going public. It's not up to the standard of Oceans's eleven yet it beats the likes of Ocean's 12. Any fan of the comedy/thriller genre should go see this film, but I will be looking more forward to Rush Hour 3.

"After the sunset" is surely not a demanding film...and none of us expected to be one. Take Pierce Brosnan - a great showman and a guy with asense of humor, add sexy as she's ever been Salma Hayek, add Woody Harrelson in good form, top it off with decent screenplay that does not take itself too seriously or risk falling into pretentious or shallow territory and you have yourself a very entertaining little piece of movie-making. There's not much to discuss about After the sunset. It has a lot of funny moments, at times it's silly and implausible but you don't really have time to think about that. It's without doubt not the best movie Pierce, Salma or Woody have made, but it's far from the worst either. If you're looking for an hour and a half of casual entertainment with solid performances, script and directing go see it...you'll feel pretty good after you do :)

This movie was a pleasant shock, because it wasn't typical high octane adrenaline-pumping Pierce Brosnan action flick of recent memory! The action was more subdued and less far-fetched as a typical Brosnan movie. I laughed my butt off in parts, and the cast pulled off their roles in a badass-yet-comical way!

Salma Hayek adds some necessary female steam in this otherwise masculine tale! As always Pierce Brosnan delivers a wonderful performance helping to make this movie a real delight!

I can't tell you much more about the movie without spoiling scenes, so, see this movie; it's worth the whatever price you pay.

After the Sunset sees Pierce Brosnan play an ex-jewel thief in a simple "will the old pro come out of retirement for one last job" movie that is far more entertaining than its unoriginal premise sounds.

Pierce Brosnan takes to his dressed-down James Bond role very well, and the jokes and his style make him a very likable character. Woody Harrelson, the rival FBI agent, puts in a similarly enjoyable performance, and his inept bumblings around the island create some unexpected comic situations between the cop and the thief. It's the relationship between these two (and the compromising situations they find themselves in) that makes the film, as they antagonize each other and almost become buddies toward the end. Their encounters add something fresh and unexpected to the movie's simple formula and make it really entertaining.

Oh, and special mentions have to go out for Don Cheadle and Salma Hayek. Don's character is very funny, and he plays both sides of it well, and as for Salma...let's just say the directors are aware of what their male audience wants to see.

All in all, it's funny, quick, easy to follow, and contains enough little quirks to make After the Sunset an enjoyable and entertaining experience.

Opening with a scene at a professional basketball game, we quickly find, as do observing FBI agents, that we've been had. The die is cast; 'After the Sunset' will provide a series of feints and jabs, dodges and weavings that will prove to be less edifying than some great jewel heist films of the past. But we still are treated to enough satisfying moments to say this is a pretty good film.

Max Burdett (Pierce Brosnan) and his girlfriend Lola Cirillo (Salma Hayek) are in retirement, having stepped down from the ranks of the international jewel thief set, and are enjoying the good life in the Bahamas. Woody Harrelson (as FBI agent Stan Lloyd) has appeared on the scene; he is less sure they have retired and with the arrival in port of a ship-borne display of jewels (featuring 'The Third Napoleon Diamond' in the collection) has them under close watch.

Agent Lloyd has always been thwarted in capturing Max and Lola; this is personal. How the characters play against each other (various local officials become interested and ultimately involved as well) as the clock ticks (the ship is due to leave soon) elevates our interest. Don Cheadle (local crime boss Kingpin) is a key figure among the Bahamians with influence on the outcome.

Jewel heist in paradise. That might be a working title for a script which would become the film 'After the Sunset'. Writer Paul Zbyszewski (previous experience on TV's 'The Weakest Link') has fashioned a reasonably believable story line (see Roger Ebert for discussion of plot holes - http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041111/REVIEWS/41006006/1023) involving electro-technical moments, great use of locations, wry humor (Woody Harrelson does go over the top in some mugging moments, but overall is quite engaging), and certainly deserves another opportunity to develop a script.

A killer cast of capable actors is expected to deliver and does. No doubt the script could have been terser, the lines more memorable or the plot more believable. We don't get all of the sheer class of the recent 'Ocean's Eleven', the raw energy of 'The Italian Job' or the gut laughs of 'Team America: World Police'. But Salma Hayek works her minimal exposure maximally (her physical charms alone are arresting), Brosnan is an interesting study in this a more laid back role than we are accustomed to seeing from him and Don Cheadle proves again he can do anything, including portray what for all intents is a gangster.

In an interview on the set of the film in January, director Brett Ratner notes about how he saw this as more a 'character-driven movie' and not just a 'big action heist'. He further notes that in taking on the task of balancing all the elements – comedy, action/adventure, drama - 'It's more of a challenge for me. Can I do a movie like this and get the tone right? If it's too broad, you don't care about the characters. If it's too serious, it's just a dramatic film and you then don't care.' (http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=3457)

'After The Sunset' is one of those films you just want to work and because you do redemption is sought in what probably are the small things. This jewel heist caper is a little above the cut of customary plex fare, and the nearly full theater of attentive viewers speaks to the dearth of just plain old decent films at the moment. We were not disappointed, and maybe agree the director CAN do a film like this.

Rating: 2- ¾ stars.