After the Sunset

Review by Clint Morris

Having recently discovered a pink slip from EON in his locker, former 007 Pierce Brosnan has seen his career inhospitably shaken and stirred in recent times.

Shaken because he's lost his meal ticket, and perceptibly stirred judging by the uncomplimentary things he has to say about his former employer since being asked to hand his keys to the Aston Martin in.

Brosnan hasn't got the last laugh with After the Sunset, but it is cinematic proof that the charismatic Irishman is capable of carrying a film sans martini, Aston Martin and tux.

He plays a grizzled jewel thief named Max Burdett. Salma Hayek plays his buxom girlfriend, Lola. Woody Harrelson plays his nemesis, agent Stan Lloyd. After what's supposed to be their last heist, Max and Lola head to the Bahamas to retire.

What they didn't count on was agent Lloyd following them there. Is he there to try and catch-them steal the locally-based "Napoleon III" diamond or merely bum about with the man he's spent his life trying to catch?

He's proved in the past he's a dab hand at casting - Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Red Dragon, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour films - and director Brett Ratner scores another perfect amass here.

The chemistry between Brosnan and Harrelson, opposites having to get along, is irrefutable. The guys are obviously having a blast in their respective unchallenging parts and it reflects in their bubbly, amiable performances on screen.

Separately, it's Brosnan at his best, and Harrelson at his wittiest. They have quite a few amusing scenes together - including a gut-busting moment where they dare each other to touch the pointer they've just fished in.

Salma Hayek - though looking sweeter than a freshly plucked pineapple - on the other hand, doesn't have a lot to do, but in Ratner's defence, she does the embody the look of a woman you can imagine the urbane Brosnan taking home. In other words, Hayek and Brosnan seem a reasonably credible couple - even if the talented actress has been wasted in the nothing role.

The main downfall of the film is the script though. It's using a stencil that's as old-hat as a clown that can turn balloons into animals. We've seen it all before - many, many times. Plus, the characters aren't as fleshed out as what they could've been - you've got to wonder about their motivations sometimes, it - and their nature - seems to change with every frame.

In terms of Brosnan's back catalogue, After the Sunset sits contently between a couple of the less dazzling Bonds, but many steps ahead of his last few flicks. It is a much more satisfying movie than the similar-themed The Thomas Crown Affair, and considering most are writing the ageing action hero off, that's a true testament that there's juice left in the ol' PB carton yet.

3 out of 5

After the Sunset
Australian release: Thursday January 13th
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle, Naomie Harris, Obba Babatunde, Jeff Garlin, Chris Penn, Alan Dale.
Director: Brett Ratner.
Website: Click here.

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