After the Sunset Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Max "The King of Alibis" Burdett and his beautiful accomplice Lola have come to Paradise
Island in the Bahamas, fresh off their final big score, ready to relax and enjoy their hard-earned riches. But Stan, the FBI agent who has spent years pursuing Max, refuses to believe that his nemesis is actually quitting.
For more about After the Sunset and the After the Sunset Blu-ray release, see After the Sunset Blu-ray Review published by Michael Reuben on April 10, 2015 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.
After the Sunset should have been better received and more successful. It features gorgeous
locations, an appealing cast, an entertaining mix of thriller, mystery and romance, plus a
generous helping of comedy, mostly thanks to an inspired performance by Woody Harrelson as a
perpetually frustrated FBI agent who can't seem to get a break. Even the film's villain is funny.
Played with silken menace by Don Cheadle, he's a Detroit gangster named Henry Moore, who
has relocated to the Caribbean under the monicker "Henri Mooré" so that he can blend in better
with the local culture. ("I put a little thingy on the 'e'. Matches the scene.") The leads are Pierce
Brosnan and Salma Hayek, who have great chemistry as jewel thieves in love.
So what went wrong? In movies as in life, timing is crucial, and After the Sunset appeared in
theaters during the messy public divorce between Brosnan and Eon Productions over his then-signature role as James Bond. The public, who largely
sided with Brosnan, wasn't yet ready to let
go of the image with which they'd associated the actor through four films since 1995's
GoldenEye. Unfortunately for the makers of After
the Sunset, Brosnan's character in that film had
many qualities reminiscent of Bondstealthy, resourceful, cool under pressure, irresistible to
womenbut yet he wasn't Bond. He lacked 007's ruthless streak, didn't use guns, and was trying
to lead a quietly monogamous life at which Bond would have wrinkled his nose. Even the
Caribbean settings of After the Sunset recalled classic Bond films, and one sequence, involving a
chase through a Junkanoo street festival, was virtually a re-creation from Thunderball. Another,
which used a remote-controlled vehicle, suggested a more elaborate "gag" in Tomorrow Never
Dies.
Audiences in 2004/2005 wanted Bond, not "Bond lite", and After the Sunset didn't get a fair viewing.
Today, though, when Daniel Craig's James Bond is uppermost in the public's mind, it's time to
revisit After the Sunset for its diverting and unlikely mix of heist, romance, buddy-movie, thriller
and absurd comedy. As it happens, the film has since picked up an additional Bond connection,
either by accident or fate. A key supporting role is played by Naomie Harris, who is now familiar
worldwide as Eve, the MI6 agent ordered, in the opening sequence of Skyfall, to "take the shot!"
and, as a result, retires to a famous desk job.
Max Burdett (Brosnan) is the world's greatest jewel thief with a particular love for diamonds.
With the help of his partner and lover, Lola Cirillo (Hayek), Max is capable of stealing a gem
from the most fortified and secure conditions, all the while maintaining the illusion that he is
somewhere else. In the extended opening sequence, Max appears to be attending an L.A. Lakers
game under FBI surveillance, while he and Lola are actually stealing one of the three fabulous
"Napoleon" diamonds, which is being transported by Special Agent Stan Lloyd (Harrelson) in a
fortified FBI vehicle. Seven years earlier, Max stole the first of the three Napoleons while it was
being guarded by Stan. The agent cannot believe it has happened to him again.
Six months later, Max and Lola are basking in glorious retirement in a beautiful beach house on
Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Well, Lola is basking, while Max is getting antsy: the same great
lobster every night; dull tourists to talk to (the montage of dinner conversations, and Max's
reactions, is very funny); and Lola pressing him to write his vows for their as-yet-unscheduled
wedding. But Max gets an unwelcome diversion when Agent Stan appears on his doorstep
flashing the brochure for the ocean liner, Seven Seas Navigator, which is due to dock in Paradise
Island with a lavish diamond exhibit that just happens to feature the third Napoleon diamond. I
know why you're really here, Stan says to Max. You're after the last Napoleon.
Lola is furious, accusing Max of lying about "retirement", while Max insists that it's all a
coincidence. Still, when you're a famous jewel thief, retirement isn't so easy. The island's most
notorious gangster, Henri Mooré (Cheadle), wants to hire Max to steal the third Napoleon to fund
his expanding empire of drugs, gambling and prostitution. The sequence in which Mooré gives
Max a tour of his operation, accompanied by his chief enforcer, Jean-Paul (Russell Hornsby), is a
prime example of the understated wit that runs throughout After the Sunset, as Mooré skillfully
blends the lingo of capitalism and social change to make rampant criminality sound entirely
reasonable. (Cheadle's delivery is pitch-perfect.)
Max's skills at diversionary tactics are tested to the limits as he must convince Mooré that he's
reconnoitring the Napoleon diamond's secure display on board the Navigator, while at the same
time keeping Stan off-balance. The latter involves, among other things, transferring the FBI agent
to the fabulously expensive "Bridge Suite" at the Atlantis Resort, distracting him with gorgeous
masseuses (Shakara Ledard and Audrey Quock) and entangling him with a local Bahamian cop,
Sophie (Harris), who is itching to make a case against Mooré over the protests of her superior
(and former husband), Zacharias (Obba Babatunde). As if these were not enough balls to juggle,
Max must also keep Lola from suspecting anythinga task at which he fails miserably. "You're
cheating on me, Max", she say. "Maybe not with another woman, but with a diamond." The
pressure on Max becomes so intense at home that he finds himself spending more time than he
ever imagined with his arch-enemy, Stan: deep-sea fishing, scuba diving and even sleeping in the
Bridge Suite when Lola throws him out. Max and Stan are found there the next morning in
embarrassing circumstances by Stan's FBI colleagues (Mykleti Williamson and Rex Linn).
With multiple screenwriters, including the actors themselves, tweaking the dialogue throughout
production, and adjustments continuing all the way through editing and post-production, director
Brett Ratner shows a restraint not normally associated with the creator of the Rush Hour films as
he keeps After the Sunset balanced on the narrow point of its intersecting genres. (The process is
explored in the extras.) Harrelson's Stan gets the broad comedy moments, while the rest of the
cast generally plays it straight. Their comic moments arise from conflicting agendas and, in the
case of Brosnan's Max, the stoic fortitude with which he must bear being smarter than most of
those around him. Hayak's Lola gives the film its emotional weight. She's the one thing Max
cares for more than diamonds, and Hayak makes you understand why.
After the Sunset was shot by the distinguished Italian cinematographer Dante Spinotti, who has
been Ratner's DP of choice since The Family Man. (He is also Michael Mann's.) The film was
Ratner's first experience with post-production on a digital intermediate, and he speaks
enthusiastically about the experience on the commentary track, because the DI gave him and his
crew the freedom on the set to overlook many problems, such as changing skies, that they knew
could be fixed in post. As is almost always the case, the DP worked directly with the DI colorist
to ensure that the color correction was accurate. At one point in the commentary, Ratner
describes debating with Spinotti whether the palm trees in a shot were sufficiently green.
Because a DI customarily results in a reliable digital archival source, there should have been no
need for Warner/New Line to create a new transfer for this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, which
features superior detail and sharpness, rich and fully saturated colors, deep blacks that do full
justice to the romantic Bahamian nighttime, and a palette that ranges from the bright yellows of
the Lakers' uniforms (in the opening sequence), to the deep greens of the island vegetation and
the warm earth tones of Max's and Lola's beach house interior, to the varied blues of the
Caribbean by night and by day. The extravagant costumes worn by the crowd at the masquerade
ball aboard the Seven Seas Navigator get their full due, as does the funkier scene in Henri
Mooré's domain. After the Sunset was designed to be a visual feast, and the Blu-ray aptly
captures the experience.
With an average bitrate of 24.92 Mbps, the Blu-ray clocks in near the top of Warner's usual
range, which is good enough here. Certainly the image doesn't suffer.
Although there are a few memorable set pieces on After the Sunset's 5.1 soundtrack (encoded in
lossless DTS-HD MA), it isn't an action film. Gunfire is sparse, though it's loud and percussive
when it occurs. Max Burdett prefers an array of (mostly) stealthy gadgets, each of which has a
signature ping, whir or other distinctive sound that the soundtrack reproduces just loudly enough
for the audience to hear. Some of the responses to Max's capers are more boisterous: law
enforcement personnel running, shouting, sometimes shooting, with sounds coming from all
over. An extended scuba diving sequence provides the usual sounds of bubbles and water
pressure, and a sort of "chase" scene early in the film offers a few crashes that are different from
the usual. Everywhere in the Bahamas, there's the sound of wind or waves (or both).
The dialogue is always clear, even with the local accents. The film's score, with its many shifts in
mood, is by Ratner's Rush Hour composer Lalo Schifrin, who
will probably always be best
known for writing the famous theme for Mission: Impossible.
After the Sunset was released on DVD in 2005 as part of the New Line Cinema "Platinum
Series". I do not have the DVD for comparison, but it appears that all of the extras have been
ported over to Blu-ray (with the exception of any DVD-ROM features, which the Platinum Series
typically included). If any reader who owns the DVD notices missing features, please let me
know so that I can update the review.
Commentary with Director Brett Ratner, Producer Beau Flynn and Editor Mark
Helfrich: Unlike many groups commentaries, the three participants manage not to talk
over each other, which makes this an easy listen. (It may have helped that Ratner had
laryngitis, as he announces at the beginning.) The commentary is particularly illuminating
in conjunction with the remaining extras, which illustrate many of the topics discussed,
such as the use of digital effects to fix inconsistencies in weather conditions and the many
locations used to stand in for the Bahamas. Ratner's effusiveness is sometimes
overwhelmingevery other shot is his "favorite"but he imparts a lot of interesting
information along the way.
Before, During and After the Sunset (480i; 1.85:1; 1:10:23): This feature-length
documentary opens with an excerpt from the Charlie Rose Show interview included in
full below, then rewinds a year to a pre-production location scout in the Caribbean that
led to the selection of Paradise Island in the Bahamas. With well-chosen and crisply
edited footage from numerous sets and locations, it's a light-hearted overview of the
making of After the Sunset that captures both the fun and the hard work involved
(including some very long days and nights). The documentary concludes with the film's
L.A. and New York premieres.
Interview with a Jewel Thief (480i; 1.85:1; 8:08): Ratner interviews Bill Mason, author
of Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief.
The Charlie Rose Show with Brett Ratner, Salma Hayek, Pierce Brosnan and Woody
Harrelson (480i; 1.33:1; 18:25): An interview on the PBS talk show timed to coincide
with the film's release.
Deleted Scenes (w/Optional Commentary with Brett Ratner, Beau Flynn and Mark
Helfrich) (480i; 2.40:1, enhanced; 16:48): The scenes are not listed (and cannot be
selected) separately. They include the original opening featured in the trailer, various cuts
discussed in the main commentary and several alternate endings.
Blooper Reel (480i; 2.40:1, enhanced; 4:51): The cast obviously had fun making each
other laugh.
Special Effects Comparison (480i; 1.66:1, enhanced; 3:18): Mark Helfrich narrates a
compilation of the film's visual effects, nearly all of which are invisible. Of particular
note is the use of digital effects to create shots that Helfrich found he wanted in the
editing process but did not have; a revealing example is the final shot in the collection,
where Lola is sitting on her porch.
Max and Lola Pretending to Make Love for Stan's Bug (480i; 2.40:1, enhanced;
1:25): This was an "easter egg" on the DVD.
A Practical Joke Ratner Played on Brosnan (480i; 2.40:1, enhanced; 0:44): Ratner
explains the joke in voiceover.
Trailer (480i; 2.40:1, enhanced; 2:32): "The world's greatest jewel thief has finally
decided to retire to paradise."
One of the many throwaway jokes in After the Sunset is that Max has rented a copy of
Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. Ratner's film isn't the
same kind of old Hollywood creation, but it
aspires to deliver the same kind of glossy escapism, and it succeeds to a much greater degree than
it was given credit for at the time. A big part of the reason is that the film doesn't take itself too
seriously. It's a little like Max Burdett when he's working one of his elaborate ruses. You know
it's a con, but he's so charming about it that you don't really care. Highly recommended.
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release eight catalog titles on April 7, 2015: After the Sunset (2004), The Corrupter (1999), Detroit Rock City (1999), Empire Records (1995), Hooper (1978), Sharky's Machine (1981) and Singles (1992).
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