Film Reviews

After The Sunset

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Don Cheadle
• Details: US/ 99 mins/ (15PG).

Now that he's been retired from the fail safe 007 gig, Pierce Brosnan will have to have his wits about him when it comes to his next few movie choices. Indeed, if Brosnan is intent on following the same path as Sean Connery rather than say, Timothy Dalton, he'd be best advised to let someone else pick his scripts for him - certainly on the evidence of the bland, formulaic meanderings of After the Sunset.
In a premise that's intriguing for all of about 15 minutes, Brosnan plays Max Burdett, a slick jewel thief who, along with his partner, Lola Cirillo (Hayek) has pulled the perfect last job. Having evaded his FBI nemesis, Stan Lloyd (Harrelson) once again, all seems set up for a happy retirement in Caribbean picture postcard bliss. Before long, a bored Max and Lola are wondering if they got out too soon. Happily for the pair, the opportunity for another last score raises its head, as a huge diamond comes into their view, as does good old Stan who, bless him, is determined to finally nail the pair.
Chances are you can probably guess the rest, but don't tell director Brett Ratner. A premise, which was already tired to begin with, is exhausted by Ratner's self-conscious, heavy-duty direction. A man who wouldn't know subtlety if it roared at him, Ratner tries to gloss over the cracks with a sort of pushy insistence that becomes tiring in the extreme. Although never likely to be mistaken for Robert De Niro, Brosnan actually looks bored for much of the film, and the required sparks with Hayek never materialise.

Review by Garreth Murphy