Looking at the trailer for After the Sunset my mind immediately went back to 1999 when the remake of the Steve McQueen hit The Thomas Crown Affair came out. The debonair Pierce Brosnan and the sexy Rene Russo lit up the screen and together told a sexy crime story that was fast paced and also had its share of comedy.
Unfortunately, the type of film I was expecting was not the type of film I got. After the Sunset is a movie that never had a script, at least it didn’t have one that worked. Just when you think you are going to get the movie you came to see there is a misplaced joke or comedic situation that always seems to come out of left field.
The only thing worth mentioning or taking away from this film is the gorgeous body of Salma Hayek, which is shown off at every chance possible, and you won’t be getting any complaints from me on that decision. Somehow, director Brett Ratner has found a way to show off as much of the female body without showing any nudity, he really should teach a class on that, but then again what would we have to look forward to, when movies are as bad as this one was?
After the Sunset is a comedy/crime flick that begins as Max Burdett (Brosnan) and Lola (Hayek) have pulled off what is expected to be their final heist as theY bring home their second of the priceless Napoleon diamonds and make FBI agent Stan Lloyd (Harrelson) look foolish in the process.
Now retired and living it up on a tropical island the two are thinking of nothing but each other and umbrella drinks when Stan suddenly reappears. With him comes news of an expected heist as the third and final diamond from the Napoleon collection is in town, the only one of the three Max and Lola have not grabbed.
That said, there isn’t much more to tell that isn’t already obvious, but amidst planning to nab the diamond the audience is forced to suffer through several ill timed jokes from Woody Harrelson who just doesn’t have the ability to make us laugh anymore. Give up the comedy Woody… “Cheers” is in the past.
Given the movie is only an hour and 40 minutes long I can say there is very little down time, and the story does manage to move along quickly despite its bumbling and stumbling. But allthings taken into consideration, I can’t forget the biggest mistake left in the film, a second ending, which makes you ask yourself, “Isn’t this over yet?” It is a clear cut case of an alternate ending that should have remained “alternate.”
If you planned on checking this one out in theaters, avoid it at all costs. Despite a stellar cast, After the Sunset is a disappointment in every sense of the word.
