El gran golpe

A fairly solid comedy about thieves with a touch of crime and romance, which of course has its pros and cons. The pace is quite solid, the dialogues are somewhat light and refreshing, and there is no rush anywhere. However, it lacks the wit and skill of Ocean's Eleven, it doesn't have the speed of The Italian Job, and it also lacks the charm of The Thomas Crown Affair. It only has Salma Hayek. (07.03.2005)

Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek are quite likable actors, but especially the former tends to choose roles that are, well, rather uninteresting. He likely won't ever be James Bond again; according to Hollywood standards, he’s simply too old now. However, since he’s still a fairly handsome guy, he enjoys taking roles in films where he can show he’s still an attractive object for women. Admittedly, After the Sunset is a film that’s already eight years old, but it doesn’t build on anything else. To be precise, it relies solely on the sex appeal of Pierce Brosnan and the beauty of Salma Hayek. I must say I have a weakness for her, which is also why I’ll give it some percentage points. Otherwise, it’s a terribly predictable film that tries to complicate the plot with completely unnecessary detours and wants to appear as a very imaginative story, a heist film in the style of Ocean's Eleven. It doesn’t come close to that and cannot. The film revolves around nothing more than whether a retired thief decides to get back into it or not. His internal struggles are of no interest to us; the only thing that really captures attention is the hope that Salma will appear on screen wearing even less clothing. Woody Harrelson plays what he’s usually cast for, that is, a comedic character—a fool who may just be a bit smarter than he seems at first glance. (28.02.2013)