Saagar Kote
‘After the Sunset,’ streaming on Prime Video, is a crime thriller drama film that follows the lives of Max Burdett, a notorious thief, and Stan Lloyd, an FBI agent, as they engage in a twisted game of one-upmanship. The lead characters become obsessed with the Napoleon diamonds, a rare three-part vintage collection of great value. The film navigates themes of brilliance, revenge, and deception in the world of crime, as the line between cops and criminals fades. When the storyline reaches its crescendo, the FBI agent and the thief face unexpected challenges and revelations that threaten to upend their plans for the future and their unlikely rapport. SPOILERS AHEAD.
After the Sunset Plot Synopsis
The narrative begins with Max Burdett, an infamous thief under the FBI’s radar, executing a brilliant heist during an NBA game. He manages to evade the watchful eyes of several agents. Lola, the criminal’s girlfriend, incapacitates an FBI convoy transporting a rare object called “Napoleon Diamond,” one of three similar artifacts. Max and Lola neutralize Agent Stan Lloyd and steal the valuable item from him. Around six months later, the disgraced agent follows the thieving couple to a luxury resort in the Bahamas, where they live a life of comfort and pleasure.
Lloyd discloses that a huge cruise ship called the Seven Seas Navigator, housing the third rare gem, will be docking near the resort for a week. He then accuses Max of scheming to steal the third Napoleon diamond after successfully stealing the first two. However, the thief denies it and unexpectedly becomes friendly towards the officer. The thief exposes Lloyd to the pleasures of the Caribbean, hoping to soften his resolve. Due to the agent’s rant earlier, Max is drawn towards the cruise ship, where he spots the diamond, leading to increasing temptations to steal it. Lloyd is attracted to a local cop named Sophie and builds a rapport with her.
Meanwhile, a local gangster named Henri Moore requests that Max steal the diamond for him so that he can provide services and resources to economically backward communities on the island. The clever thief finds himself in trouble when Lola grows resentful of his emotional distancing and absence of commitment to their relationship. Due to the proliferation of his relationship troubles, Max befriends Lloyd, and the two seem to let go of their enmity. The agent develops a closer connection with Sophie, but is troubled when she finds out that he was suspended from the FBI. The two men try to reconnect with their lovers, but underneath the surface, they appear to be hiding other motives, which threaten to ruin not only their friendship but also their reputations.
After the Sunset Ending: Does Max Steal the Diamond from Lloyd?
Lloyd gets a disgraceful suspension from the FBI after failing to stop the heist of two of the three Napoleon diamonds, and goes to the Bahamas to get even with Max. Towards the end of the film, a shocking revelation turns the whole story upside-down. After successfully and discreetly stealing the third Napoleon diamond from the Seven Seas Navigator, Max assumes that he has achieved everything he wanted to. He hopes to bid goodbye to Lloyd with the satisfaction of having outsmarted him again. To the thief’s shock, the agent unravels his cunning deception.
Lloyd lets his opponent know that he has been fooled from the beginning of the Bahamas adventure. The FBI man pretended to get drunk and sad, which allowed him to get closer to the thief. The proximity enabled him to spy on his enemy while he was drilling a hole into a wooden pole, where he intended to hide the diamond after stealing it. Thus, the cunning suspended officer is able to steal the object after Max risks his life stealing it in the first place. As the two men have drinks by the beach, the thief finally accepts his defeat gracefully and acknowledges that, for the first time, he was outsmarted by the agent.
A greater twist occurs later, when Lloyd, after assuming that he has conned the clever criminal, heads towards the airport to leave the Bahamas and trade his newfound diamond for millions of dollars. As a limousine transports the now-corrupt officer to the airport, he is shocked to find out that the luxury vehicle has been remotely locked and is being controlled by someone on the outside. In a brilliant callback to the beginning of the narrative, where Max traps Lloyd in his own law enforcement vehicle by remotely controlling it, he does the same again with the limousine. Despite stealing the diamond successfully, the agent finds it impossible to trade it, being stuck in a car, completely under the control of his enemy.
Sitting by the beach, Max hilariously takes control of the car, leaving Lloyd’s future in the balance. Despite the narrative coming to a halt at this point, it can be presumed that the thief may not let the agent go free. Max has always been obsessed with the three diamonds, which will not let him ignore the third piece of the puzzle. He will probably commandeer the car back to the resort or hidden location, and then steal the priceless artifact back from Lloyd. It is also possible that the criminal has a change of heart and lets his enemy go, having already outsmarted him before. However, this possibility seems highly unlikely, as his love for the diamond is greater than his hatred towards Lloyd.
How Does Max Steal the Third Napoleon Diamond?
Having already stolen two of the three Napoleon diamonds, Max finds himself in a dilemma about the third piece of the puzzle. Despite opposition from Lola and his own initial reluctance, he finally decides to steal the artifact and complete his journey of heists. After befriending Lloyd, the thief organizes a deep-sea diving expedition with the agent, Sophie, and Lola. During the diving expedition, the four individuals come across some breathtaking sights underwater and the wreckage of an old sunken ship. Unbeknownst to the agent, Max hires someone else to switch places with him momentarily.
As the group continues to swim, Max quickly disappears as a random man takes his spot in the adventure. However, the identity of the man is not revealed in the narrative. It can be presumed that he is probably someone who is a trusted confidant of Max, or someone else in it for the money. Despite radio communication between all the divers, Max uses his skills to climb onto the Seven Seas Navigator and uses the air ducts above the secured room housing the diamond to break in. In a move reminiscent of Ethan Hunt in the first ‘Mission Impossible’ film, Max uses a clever little instrument shaped like a hook to steal the diamond from directly above it, within the air ducts. He burns through the protective layer surrounding the diamond, and then uses a hook-like object to get hold of the diamond and drag it above.
Before the law enforcement on the cruise ship can respond, the thief quickly escapes, using the ropes to descend into the water again. Before anyone else in the diving party notices, Max comes back, having hidden the valuable object within his dress. In this effort, he is also reluctantly helped by Lola, who cleverly distracts Lloyd momentarily, allowing Max to switch places with the unknown man again. Without letting anything distract him, the experienced thief almost single-handedly steals from a secured ship, while also fooling his opponent in the game of one-upmanship.
Do Max and Lola Get Married?
Max and Lola are partners in crime who share a deeply intimate bond. Despite a lack of information on the full history of their relationship, it can be presumed that they have been with each other for a while, having successfully stolen two of the three Napoleon diamonds together. They retire to the Bahamas after supposedly giving up their careers in crime. During the course of the storyline, the two face the trials and tribulations of their relationship, as Lloyd interferes with their so-called perfect retirement plan. Lola experiences insecurities surrounding Max’s temptation to steal the third diamond. She repeatedly warns him that the consequences of such things could be dangerous, as he might be out of his depth now.
Lola intends to enjoy the rest of her life peacefully, without risking anything. She starts growing distant from her lover when she realizes he doesn’t take their relationship as seriously as she does, finding out that he hasn’t written his vows of commitment as decided earlier. After reluctantly assisting him in stealing the diamond, Lola storms out of the resort, bidding Max goodbye. She tells him that she doesn’t want to be with him anymore, as he loves diamonds more than he loves her. As she is about to board a chartered plane out of the island, Max follows her and reaches her in the nick of time. The thief stops his lover from flying out and emotionally asks her to marry him while reading out his vows.
He tells her that he spent his whole life chasing things he thought were valuable, but she is the only one of real value. He proposes to her with a beautiful diamond ring, saying that it’s the first one he has ever bought. Lola warmly accepts his proposal and kisses him, while joking that she would love to see a receipt. It can be presumed that the two lovers will get married soon, as they have achieved everything they wanted to, and have successfully left behind their past of thieving. The two share a deeply personal bond, which will enable them to share a great marriage, based on mutual understanding, love, and loyalty. Though it is not shown in the narrative, it is made crystal clear that the lovers will get married and lead a life of peaceful adventures and great sunsets.
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