After The Sunset
What tries to be a quirky, funny, jewel heist flick is nearly undone by numerous plot holes but is still elevated by a couple of performances. Brosnan plays a ultra-successful jewel thief who in the filmâs opening makes his âretirement scoreâ in the midst of an LA Lakers game by ripping off an FBI agent (and longtime antagonist) played by Woody Harrelson, with the help of several accomplices. Some time later, he and girlfriend / partner in crime Salma Hayek are living in paradise in the Bahamas when Harrelson comes out of nowhere with a tempting proposition: Trying to purloin the last valuable diamond he has yet to steal, which is being displayed on a luxury cruise ship that is only in port for a few days. And so the plot is off and running, and surprisingly the best (and most likable) performance belongs to Harrelson, in the juiciest role heâs had in a long time. Busted and demoted down to nearly nothing by the FBI, his attempts to set up Brosnan so he can regain his pride (even going so far as to engage in male bonding with his prey including fishing and hanging out drinking with him) helps the character rise above clichĂ© and actually turn out to be funny and engaging. Not so much fun is the interplay between Brosnan and Hayek: Much of their dialogue consists of her insisting that he âstay retiredâ and try to be happy with their comfortable life in paradise (as most people would be). Those out there obsessed with Hayekâs looks though, will get plenty of opportunities to ogle her in bikinis and skimpy underwear. Personally, I found Naomie Harrisâ turn as the local cop who works with and falls for Harrelson to be much more appealing: Youâll never see a sexier girl sporting a thick Jamaican accent and her chemistry with Woody is quite strong, even when the film blatantly copies an Indy / Marion moment from Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Then there is Don Cheadle as the crime boss who controls the island: His role comes off as needless and superficial and only seems to be in the film so that they can have that type of gangster character in the mix. Then there are the plot holes in the screenplay, ranging from the improbably ridiculous way the opening scene plays out, to Brosnan having impossible psychic ability during the logistics of the heist, to Cheadle (a guy who supposedly controls the island) showing up at the end to threaten the heroes at gunpoint without ANY henchmen or backup whatsoever. These elements really help drag the movie down (especially in the last third) and the âbig twistâ at the end really isnât all that shocking for the most part. In the end, an average heist comedy only elevated by the interaction between Woody and his co-starsâŠ
7/10