MOVIEW REVIEW: ‘After the Sunset’ isn’t pretty
At its very best, “After the Sunset” is nothing more than a poorly put-together infomercial on Caribbean tourism. In fact, I don’t know what this film tries to show off more, the tropical pleasures of the Caribbean, or Salma Hayek’s body. It’s a shoddy, amateurishly-exotic heist film that comes across like campy soft porn.
Putting my ticket money toward an Amway startup kit would have been more worthwhile.
This sluggish drool-inducer does have a storyline, but it flows like a clogged drain. Its cheesy formula of celebrity exposure is like a how-to class on narcissism and goes something like this: Pierce Brosnan makes a witty comment, Hayek gets naked. Brosnan gleams his Bond smile, Hayek gets naked. Brosnan goes to extreme lengths to steal a diamond he promised he wouldn’t steal with the most overboard effort conceived on film, Hayek gets naked.
In short, it’s a lot of grin and a lot of skin.
“Sunset” also has a very strange and misplaced homosexual undertone. The witty innuendo it shoots for feels empty and bland – anything but coy and clever. Certain comedy-forced situations get the very macho, heterosexual characters Woody Harrelson (Kingpin) and Brosnan play to rub lotion on each other and eventually, with slapstick effort, sleep together. But the humor never evolves. In fact most every aspect of the film is that way: supposed clever ideas that unfortunately stay dormant.
The lightweight flick begins with the retirement of expert diamond thief, Max (Brosnan.) Max retires at the height of his impeccable, arrest-less career, and settles down with his girlfriend and accomplice Lola (Hayek) somewhere in the Caribbean.
While Lola seems content living in a beach house and participating in aquatic activities everyday, Max isn’t as gratified and itches for one last heist. It just so happens, the last diamond in a group of diamonds that Max thrives on stealing is on display in a docked cruise liner on the island. Regardless of his promise to Lola to stay away from it, Max prepares to indulge his perpetual temptation.
To make things more complicated, which only seems natural considering Max is the greatest thief of his fictional time, his nemesis and hot-on-the-trail FBI counterpart, Stanley Lloyd, (Harrelson) who Max has humiliated numerous times in prior situations, is also on the island and baiting Max to take the diamond so he can finally arrest Max.
Like so many other cliché professional thieves from so many other cliché heist films, Max is the infallible.
His suave wit and classy gestures are beyond human. He even appears to be superior to James Bond, a character purposely embellished to justify his outlandish capabilities.
Max is hard to associate with or to show empathy for because of his mile-high grandiosity and flawless demeanor, yet the film fights for you to feel for him. It wants the viewer to see Max as the victim and applaud his gutsy mindset. But rooting for him doesn’t seem right.
Dignan (Owen Wilson) in the movie “Bottle Rocket” was a criminal worth supporting, not to mention, one who needed it. Dignan was this blundering fool of a thief who took great pride in being mediocre. After each lamebrain, small time robbery, Dignan would critique each of his cohorts in the way they handled the situation. His deadpan humor and social skill ignorance made him a criminal far more engaging than someone like Max.
I know these two characters are entirely different to compare, but flaws make characters more realistic. For the humorous slant “Sunset” tries so desperately to achieve, it should have portrayed Max more realistically. We already have a Bond, and Brosnan already played him.
With this nasty combination of ill-placed characters, cheesy sexual situations and a storyline as deep and rich as a vegan dinner, “Sunset” is nothing more than a big ball of fluff.
The film ends with really no conclusion and on an entirely different level than it unfolded. It’s almost like a Looney Tune ending with a series of “we’ll see who gets the last laugh” gags.
Overall, it’s a heist film that ends up stealing nothing more than your time, money and brain cells.
Jack’s Weekly DVD Recommendation: “Family Guy,” Volume 1&2
By far the funniest show ever on network TV and I don’t care what you Simpsons’ fans say. With its two-year hiatus, but comeback coming this January, “The Family Guy’s” season one through three is probably the best thing for preparation for its return. With loudmouth father Peter, the evil minded infant Stewie and Brian, the well-mannered articulate pooch, “The Family Guy” shreds comedic competition with endless directions for show possibilities. Its return is the most anticipated event in my life. Either my life is that bad, or “The Family Guy” is that good.
I hope it’s the latter.
Jack Saunders is a movie reviewer for the Utah Statesman. He is a junior majoring in print journalism. Comments, or movies to review may be sent to jrsaunders@cc.usu.edu.