MOVIE REVIEW

A jewel thief has trouble staying retired in a film reminiscent of the storytelling of earlier Hollywood days.

By Kevin Thomas, Times Staff Writer

"After the Sunset" is an unalloyed delight, bright and breezy escapist fare that's pure entertainment, filled with romance, adventure, humor, action, suspense, beautiful scenery and beautiful people. Best of all, it's got more emotion than gadgetry and special effects — although those are spiffy indeed.

It just goes to show there's nothing like a clever script, along with perfect casting and, above all, direction that's feather-light. That recipe is usually found in favorite Hollywood movies of the past, not up-to-the-minute productions like this one. With its throwaway wit and sophistication and utter lack of pretension, "After the Sunset" has an unusual across-the-board appeal. Who better than Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, most daring and successful of jewel thieves? Or Salma Hayek as Lola, his gorgeous partner in love and crime? Or Woody Harrelson as Stan, a dogged FBI agent with a deceptive zany streak?

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According to Paul Zbyszewski and Craig Rosenberg's script, Napoleon wielded a sword studded with three flawless matched diamonds that are among the world's largest. After a suitably bravura opening sequence that finds Max and Lola snatching Napoleon II right out of Stan's hands, the couple head for retirement at a luxury Bahamas resort. Sure enough, Stan pops up, determined to nail them. Wouldn't you know, too, a vast ocean liner drops anchor and has on display Napoleon III to tempt Max back into action?

Happily, director Brett Ratner and his writing team, who display a classic flair for behavioral comedy, are able to keep things moving while shoving the plot far enough to the side to enable us to consider good-naturedly Max and Lola's relationship and the comically wary friendship that develops between Max and Stan. Attractively weathered, Max remains handsome and dashing in middle age, but for all the passion of his romance with Lola he finds it hard to settle down to a life of watching sunsets on the deck Lola has made at their elaborate beachside cabana.

A nest-builder, Lola is practical and realistic, a firm believer in quitting while ahead, but it's clear that Max still harbors a dangerous lust for excitement that even she may not be able to satisfy. There's a subtle suggestion that beneath his easygoing gentlemanliness, Max could be finding life in a paradise a trifle boring. In short, the filmmakers allow for a bit of reflection, an actual human dimension to emerge, before they let everything rip for a roaring finish.

With Lalo Schifrin's lovely score as easy on the ear as Dante Spinotti's camerawork is easy on the eye, "After the Sunset" glows in all its aspects. That includes Don Cheadle as a fancy-talking gangster from Detroit and Naomie Harris as a beautiful but tough Nassau policewoman who warily teams up with Stan. "After the Sunset" is a holiday-season treat that's arrived early.