“After The Sunset” (New Line Cinema)
Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek co-star in the new caper film “After the Sunset.” It is a light-hearted heist movie plopped down in the lush settings of the Bahamas, full of playful banter between the two stars, and full of long shots of Hayek’s curvaceous body. It should have been a pleasant diversion of a film but the insipid appearance of Woody Harrelson shoots down the entertainment value.
Brosnan and Hayek are Max and Lola, lovers and partners in crime. After their last heist that resulted in FBI Agent Stan Boyd (Harrelson) being left with an empty briefcase which formerly held a valuable diamond, they retire to the Bahamas. They are living an innocent and totally satisfying life until Agent Boyd appears.
Boyd thinks Max is going to rob a cruise ship of another diamond. He is positive of it. He even convinces the local authority (Naomie Harris) of this fact. The rest of the film is spent trying to figure out if Boyd is right or wrong.
Brosnan wears a stubble of a beard that is off putting. Women like their Brosnan suave and he isn’t suave here. Hayek is delicious in the movie but it is surprising she would settle for a film in which she is “the girlfriend.” Any dozen other pretty faces could have played the part just as well.
Harrelson is just bland as can be and drags the movie down each time he appears in a scene. Harris tries to make him more likeable but she is unsuccessful. Don Cheadle is wasted as a crime lord down in the Bahamas. Troy Garity (Jane Fonda’s son) has a brief role as a bartender friend of Brosnan’s.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Brett Ratner directed this film and he can usually be counted on for some inventive action sequences. He did this in both “Rush Hour” movies as well as “Red Dragon,” but this time out he seems lethargic in setting the pace.
“After the Sunset” is a slow moving, weakly acted movie that should have been better. Brosnan needs a non-Bond hit to keep his career going and this film definitely is not it.
I scored “After the Sunset” a twilight 4 out of 10.
