Python Hyena After the Sunset (2004): Dir: Brett Ratner / Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle, Naomie Harris: Surprisingly fun and often amusing action comedy referencing retirement for a couple of thieves played by Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek. Problem is that Brosnan has one more heist to make despite Hayek's disapproval. The object of desire is a diamond aboard a cruise ship. Woody Harrelson plays an F.B.I. agent always outsmarted by Brosnan and the setup establishes this relationship. Now Harrelson throws the news regarding the diamond at Brosnan and a strange bond transpires. Detailed and funny with a conclusion that hilariously ties into the opening. This is one of Brett Ratner's better films. He previously made such low grade junk as Red Dragon and Rush Hour. Brosnan is not side stepping his James Bond role by much but he is still effective as a thief attempting one last shot at greatness before his believed satisfaction. Hayek is also effective despite the fact that she leads to an obvious conclusion. Harrelson brings humour as the foiled agent who is more on the ball than at first glance. Don Cheadle plays a gangster with an assignment for Brosnan. Naomie Harris plays a police constable whom the Harrelson aligns himself with before she learns some facts. It is simply just an action farce but with the humour it becomes much more. Score: 9 / 10

jimbo-53-186511 The first 10 minutes of this film are probably the strongest where we witness a fairly imaginative escape from Pierce Brosnan and the rather elaborate way that Brosnan takes control of an FBI vehicle (I'm still on the fence as to the plausibility of taking control of a vehicle by scanning the VIN number, but it was fun to watch so I let it slide). This scene actually reminded me of the scene with the BMW 7 Series in Tomorrow Never Dies. The observant amongst us will spot some well-known cameos in the opening minutes including a 'blink and you'll miss it' sighting of Ed Norton and more obviously Shaquille O'Neal. Sadly, despite its impressive opening this film never really shone for me and here's why....Let's start with Woody Harrelson's character Lloyd; at the start of the film he's portrayed as a smart and hard assed FBI agent, but then later when he meets up with Max (Pierce Brosnan) and Lola (Salma Hayek) he seems to have turned from bad-ass no nonsense FBI agent into Johnny English - him falling about drunk and constantly allowing Max and Lola to get the upper-hand. Yes we learn later that Lloyd was playing Max all along, but personally I think it would have been better just to play this as a straight cat and mouse thriller between Lloyd and Max and I'm almost certain it would have made it more exciting. Seeing Lloyd and Max being all buddy-buddy and goofing around sometimes made me question whether I was watching a 'heist pardoy' or a serious heist film and even when the film ended I still wasn't sure of the answer... In respect of Brosnan's character he also has a clichéd 'one last job' storyline that never went anywhere till the very end and was an utter bore for the first 60 minutes. Then you have wifey Lola trying to talk him out of it and to just enjoy their retirement. Yawn!!!! It didn't help that Hayek and Brosnan probably shared some of the worst on-screen chemistry that I've seen between an actor and an actress.The film also turns into a soft core porn film at times which must have been a vain attempt to try and stop the audience from nodding off (I'll admit it worked for me with all the scenes with Salma Hayek, but that's because she's gorgeous).There are some twists and turns later in the film although the impact of the one involving Harrelson's character is lessened when we learn that he had been suspended prior to going after Max (which makes an ulterior motive all the more likely - why else would he pursue Max if he's not being paid to?).The performances across the board are generally poor with both Brosnan and Hayek being particularly wooden. Harris is OK, but she isn't given much to do and to her credit her Caribbean accent isn't bad (most of the time). Cheadle is good in the scenes that he's in, but again isn't given much to work with. Harrelson is the strongest link and does put in the best performance - although that's not saying much.This is probably the worst heist flick that I've seen and for the most part it is a dull plodder that takes a long time to get going and even when it does get going it never really amounts to much. The final scene did make me laugh even though I could see it coming a mile off. Well, for the guys, at least we can get to see Salma Hayek scantily clad for at least half of the film. Sadly, these moments are the only real high points in this tedious and boring film.

tbills2 Am I crazy in love with this movie, After the Sunset, with Salma Hayek? Yes, yes I am. I'll say it's just my favorite movie. How's that? Salma Hayek is the hottest Bahama Mama ever! That's how! I mean wow! Salma Hayek has got to be the most impeccably beautiful Caribbean Queen in the Isles! Whichever island After the Sunset's paradise locale is, Salma Hayek is one scorching hot beach babe in a bikini, and I want to be there, and I want to go there and stay there with her, and be a permavacationer.All smooth flattery aside, After the Sunset is one of the most sexiest visual viewings, mostly attributed to scintillating hot Salma Hayek. After the Sunset does a marvelous job at fully showcasing Salma'a amazing body, and without her appearing nude. Salma's just perfect. Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson are perfect for the viewing as well.After the Sunset has gorgeous visuals and breathtaking scenery. Beautiful people under gorgeous ocean sunrises and sunsets looking beautiful. It's so wonderfully colorful. I love it. After the Sunset is breezy fun. It has good humor and some good gadgetry to go along with its gorgeous, gorgeous visuals.Salma Hayek is so sexy. I really love this movie. After the Sunset is one of my faves!!!"Come on, let yourself go, have fun."'Turn 'round and let me see ya. Turn 'round and let me see ya. Ya boom, pineapple wine, ya dollar fifty all da time. Turn 'round and let me see ya. Turn 'round and let me see ya. Ya boom, pineapple wine, ya dollar fifty all da time. I got a new dance. Hot like pepperpot. From the old to the young gonna make your body rock. It's really easy. Easy peasy. You can do it anywhere, jump around like you don't care, singin'. Turn 'round and let me see ya. Turn 'round and let me see ya. Ya boom, pineapple wine, ya dollar fifty all da time.'

johnnyboyz Things we might learn thanks to dross films like After the Sunset: 'Latino' women are scorching hot; there exists within the F.B.I. agents so inept that upon catching a shark whilst fishing, they will shoot them for good measure; women are nothing but mere objects that should dress in bikini's and keep their mouths shut when two epically superior men talk business with one another; stealing things is a good thing to do and theft is generally sexy.These are the things that After the Sunset, directed by Brett Ratner and starring Pierce Brosnan, glamorise. These are the ideas After the Sunset bring to the plate and exploit for mere entertainment. Make no mistake, this film is written by men; made by men; for men and I'm not talking about in a constructive manner like Oliver Stone's Wall Street. After the Sunset is close to dead in almost all departments. The thinking behind it is that a director will pull together a couple of actors everyone will recognise, a smoking hot actress everyone will like due to the range of outfits they'll get her in and then clear off to the Caribbean for a few months – oh, and they'll be shooting a film while they're there. But that's the grating thing with this film, all the actors and actresses have a smug sort of smirk on their faces throughout the experience as they potter about in a film that they know deep down is absolute junk and are there to merely enjoy the locale whilst systematically getting paid.Ratner does not even need an interesting story, if it's a few months in the Caribbean he'll take it. The film signals Brosnan's first post-Bond adventure and it feels very much like Brosnan's Bond himself has retired from British Intelligence, found himself a partner and gone off to a paradise to live out his days. The film opens with a Bond type stunt in which Max Burdett (Brosnan) and partner Lola Cirillo (Hayek) rob the F.B.I. of a diamond in a case cuffed to Stan Lloyd's (Harrelson) hand. What I found rather uncomfortable here is how a man (who is absolutely terrified) can be shown to be locked in a jeep while gas seeps through one of the heater vents and slowly either kills or knocks him out. This is juxtaposed with the two thieves kissing passionately as a cheesy song plays through the radio. From here After the Sunset announces itself as the sort of sick, uneasy and messy film it is and never until it has ended does it rise above the level it peaks at during the heist two minutes in.From here, Burdett and Cirillo retire to the utopia that is the Caribbean. Theft is their fetish, it is their non-sexual object or activity that really turns them on. At the mere mention or thought of stealing something, even in the process of stealing, these two characters are thrust wildly into the mindset of passion. In fact, this film carries a strong air of sexuality be it women as the object of desire or a homoerotic undertone. The first thing is that while the film glamorises theft and stealing, it maintains that air that everything done in this film is 'sexy'. Selma Hayek exists in this film to merely wear a bikini and look attractive, that is it. In fact the film is so distasteful that her attractiveness and general sexual presence has to act as the film's main source for comedy with the secondary source being Harrelson's bumbling and inept federal agent antics. Throughout the film, Hayek will slowly remove outer pieces of clothing; come onto the character of Max Burdett and in one instance act out a fake sadomasochistic act over a two way radio to con an eavesdropping character, all in the name of comedy. Then there is the unoriginal idea for a narrative that consists of Burdett going for 'one last job'; the job in question a diamond on display on a luxury cruise ship in the area. Max doesn't even know it's there until Agent Lloyd points it out to him, lucky he did otherwise they'd be no story. From here, Max is a man in crisis. He ignores his vows that he should be writing for the love of his partner; he becomes confused over his sexuality once his marriage threatens to fall apart and then sleeps with Harrelson's character in one of a few homoerotic scenes after this. But Agent Lloyd is equally out of his depth in a film that doesn't have any. Shooting a gun at a shark, down into the floor of a boat stating "You have the right to remain silent!" has to qualify as one of the dumbest excuses a film has to offer for mere petty laughs. Then there is the further evidence that this film exists for mere comedy driven romances when Lloyd begins to develop a relationship with Jamaican police officer Sophie (Harris). She begins strong and independent and I had a scrape of respect for the film in having her that way. But the film then has the male character of Lloyd chip away at her personality and soon enough, they're together in a mindless and somewhat silly series of scenes.So the film fails as a heist film even if the final act revolves around one. The film also grotesquely fails as a study of relationships and what we find attractive. Women are mere objects and if they're not to begin with then they will be tamed eventually. Burdett and Lloyd go through separate crises themselves and must share beds and rub suntan lotion on one another before the film gives us a final weak and incomprehensible twist. If the film does do something right, it's that it ends when we want it to.