After The Sunset (12A)

9:50am Friday 26th November 2004

If nothing else, After The Sunset has certainly picked an ideal release date. As the weather seems to get colder, wetter, and greyer with every passing week, a sun-kissed trip to the Bahamas seems like the perfect distraction.

And that's basically the appeal of the film; it may not do much to engage the brain, but it pulls out all the stops in providing some easygoing escapism.

Max Burdett (Pierce Brosnan) and his girlfriend Lola (Salma Hayek) may just be the best jewel thieves in the business. After a string of high profile thefts, including two of the three priceless Napoleon diamonds, they've chosen to call it quits and retire to the Caribbean. But the dogged FBI man who's spent years tracking them isn't convinced, especially when he learns that the third Napoleon diamond is to be displayed on an ocean liner visiting the island. Soon Stan Lloyd (Woody Harrelson) is back on Max's case, enjoying the island life and trying to push the egotistical crook into making a mistake.

As unoriginal as this is, it's also rather enjoyable. Director Brett Ratner knows he's just making a fun and frothy caper flick, and doesn't pretend otherwise. In fact, with the camera fawning over the perfect blue seas and snowy white beaches, you wonder if he might not be on commission from the Caribbean tourist board. It certainly makes you want to visit, in any case. And in keeping with that approach, he ensures his good-looking cast spend as much time in swimwear as possible. By the end credits you'll swear the film was really about Salma Hayek's bikini collection, never mind some measly diamond heist.

And the cast seem to be enjoying themselves tremendously. As usual, Brosnan trades on his laidback charm and sharp comic timing, while Hayek plays well against him as his exasperated girlfriend. But it's when the effortlessly smooth Brosnan is sparring with Harrelson's shambling FBI man that the film is at its best. Even the most predictable of scenes, such as a male-bonding fishing trip or an uncomfortable night spent sharing a bed, become great fun thanks to their snappily delivered banter.

The news isn't quite as good on other fronts, though. The thefts themselves aren't all that exciting, and have none of the wit and invention of Brosnan's other heist film, The Thomas Crown Affair. In fact, the different plot elements fail to click into place anywhere near as neatly as in that film. The romantic hitches are developed to a certain extent, but get resolved too easily, and never really become interesting. And Don Cheadle's island gangster is far too undercooked a character, coming across as a mere plot device to keep events moving. Even the build up to the heist itself is rather slow to kick in, to the point where you wonder if the jewel thieves have actually forgotten there's a priceless gem docked at the end of the pier.

But then, that very laidback quality is also what makes the film likeable. It's so lightweight that a strong breeze could send it sailing away, but After The Sunset is undeniable fun, and a sunny diversion from the gloomy winter months.

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