The2004 heist filmAfter the Sunsetstarted streaming onNetflixthis month, and it is just as bad as no one remembers. The action-comedy is directed by Brett Ratner and stars Pierce Brosnan, Woody Harrelson, Salma Hayek, and Don Cheadle. Despite its all-star cast andBefore Trilogy-sounding title,After the Sunsetwas a total critical flop. It currently has an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers using words like “confusing,” “bland,” and “lackadaisical” to describe their watching experience.
Still, arguably, there is one special facet toAfter the Sunsetyou really cannot find in any other movie: a delightful flirtation between the characters played by Brosnan and Harrelson. Even better, the movie doesn’t want to acknowledge that this flirtation is going on. The chemistry between Haymitch Abernathy and James Bond, however, is too strong to deny.
What Is ‘After the Sunset’ About?
After the Sunsetbegins withFBI Agent Stanley Lloyd (Harrelson)in the process of transporting one of the Napoleon Diamonds via convoy. Lloyd and his team are intentionally trying to keep famous jewel thief Max Burdett (Brosnan) from stealing the diamond, which is the second of three in the world. However, despite their efforts, Burdett does manage to obtain the jewel through an elaborate plot involving disguising his girlfriend, Lola (Hayek), as a solicitor. Burdett and Lola flee to the Bahamas with the jewel, having made a sworn enemy of the now disgraced Lloyd.
6 months later, Lloyd finds Burdett and Lola in paradise. He says that he has come on a case, convinced that Burdett is in the Bahamas with the intention of stealing the third Napoleon diamond. Burdett assures Lloyd that he has no such intention and offers to pay for a deluxe suite for Lloyd to stay in and vacation. Of course, Burdett does want the diamond, and Lloyd does not believe him. Burdett soon begins a dishonest partnership with a gangster on the island,Henri Moore (Cheadle), who hires him to steal the diamond on his behalf.Thus, Lloyd and Burdett begin a complicated back and forth as they both scheme in pursuit of the diamond, turning on each other and teaming up sporadically.
A Terrible Movie, But Gay Star-Crossed Lovers?
There are plenty of instances of overt flirting between Burdett and Lloyd inAfter the Sunset.For instance, during one scene, they erotically rub sunscreen on each other. In another scene, Burdett tucks a sleeping Lloyd into bed, telling another agent, “You tell anyone I tucked him in, I’ll kill you.” Perhaps the most undeniable example comes in a scene where they crawl into bed together, shirtless, having both had falling outs with their respective romantic partners. They admit to each other that they cannot be happy with a woman because of each other (okay, they don’t say it JUST like that, but we can read between the lines). Then, they wake up cuddling. Sure, the movie tries to make it all look like a (homophobic) misunderstanding. The other officers accuse the two of dating, and it’s a plot device and a joke. However, the trained romantic eye can see that something deeper lies beneath.
To be clear, this movie is aggressively misogynistic and nowhere close to being intentional queer media.After the Sunsetis not traditionally romantic.If you look atAfter the Sunsetthrough the lens of repression, however, it starts to get interesting. The enemies-to-“lovers” (read: friends) to enemies again plot creates palpable homoerotic tension. This is a movie about Burdett and Lloyd being absolutely obsessed with each other.After the Sunsetwants you to think that these men are obsessed with women, thus oversexualizing them at every turn, but they are not. It is a classic instance of Freud’s Theory of Reaction Formation.
The men’s respective female partners grow incredibly frustrated with them over the course of the film because of how much attention they are paying to each other and this “diamond heist” instead of their relationships. Their clear romantic feelings for each other, you could argue (if you were readingAfter the Sunsetmore deeply than anyone was ever intended to), manifest in the form of misplaced elaborate schemes, anger, and sometimes even homophobia. While most ofAfter the Sunsetcan be reduced to an accidentally camp, forgettable heist movie,it is indicative of a trend in media in the early 2000sthat seemed simultaneously afraid of and fascinated by gayness.
If you simply want to enjoy Harrelson and Brosnan sharing a few unexpected longing glances, check outAfter the Sunseton Netflix now.
After the Sunset
