GETTING the bullet after four outings as Bond must have been a sickener for Pierce Brosnan.

Still, if the compensation is that he gets to make slick films in exotic Caribbean locations with Salma Hayek and Woody Harrelson, it can't be all bad.

Max (Brosnan) is a master thief who hightails it to a tropical paradise with girlfriend/accomplice Lola (Hayek) after pulling off one last big job - making a monkey out of hapless FBI agent Stan Lloyd (Harrelson) into the bargain.

Except Stan's not convinced the pair have really hung up their balaclavas. He reckons they could be after the great big diamond that's aboard the cruise ship which is hosting a major gemstones exhibition at their local port.

He's not the only one. The island's resident crimelord, Henri Moree (Don Cheadle) has designs on the rock as well and who better to help him acquire it than dear old Max.

Lola, on the other hand, is happy to make the most of all this spare time to learn sports, do a little DIY, eat, drink and be merry.

So, will Max be able to resist temptation? Would Lola help him? Will Stan give up the chase? Will Henri take no for an answer?

After the Sunset is a likeable enough slice of high-end hokum that should do the business at the box office.

Its plot has more holes than Swiss cheese, but the locations are stunning, Pierce looks great, so does Woody, and there's Salma Hayek as well. Just in case we forget we're watching Pierce Brosnan exercise his licence to steal, there's a remote control car chase, some underwater stuff and a few sexy gadgets that could have walked off any Bond set from the last 20 years.

Not a bad golden handshake then, Pierce.

See it at the UCI, Odeon