Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett in After the Sunset (2004)
Vitals
Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, retired(?) jewel thief
The Bahamas, Summer 2004
Film: After the Sunset
Release Date: November 12, 2004
Director: Brett Ratner
Costume Designer: Rita Ryack
Pierce Brosnan’s Costumer: Edward T. Hanley
Background
Happy 70th birthday to Pierce Brosnan!
Perhaps in response to playing well-tailored protagonists like Remington Steele, Thomas Crown, and—of course—James Bond, Brosnan seemed to delight in defining his post-007 screen persona as an opportunistic and oft-oversexed beach bum, as seen in varying degrees in the excellent The Tailor of Panama, the entertaining The Matador, and the escapist heist flick After the Sunset.
The latter may be the least acclaimed of that trio, but—for all of After the Sunset‘s narrative and logistic shortcomings—it’s still a treat to watch Brosnan as a retired master thief who gets restless while suffering through his off-the-grid life in a Caribbean paradise with his professional-turned-romantic partner Lola (Salma Hayek).
Max is the kind of guy whose biggest problem at the moment is feeling bored while living free of expenses in a luxurious private Bahamian seaside villa where Salma Hayek begs him to marry her on a daily basis. Let me know if you feel bad for him!
What’d He Wear?
After retiring to Paradise Island, Max’s wardrobe consists almost exclusively of linen button-up shirts with shorts during the day or breezy lightweight pants at night. His shirts are a range of colorful linen, from red, coral, and green to indigo, purple, and several blues, though he also has a pair of white linen shirts as should be a staple in any beach-going gentleman’s wardrobe.
Brosnan had previously worn a white linen long-sleeved shirt in his final Bond outing, Die Another Day, though that shirt was crisper and more tailored than the loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt he wears as Max Burdett in After the Sunset. Max’s white linen shirt has a generous, oversized fit with elbow-length sleeves, spread collar, breast pocket, and a plain front that Max wears half-buttoned to his torso.
Max’s trademark arrangement of jewelry includes a silver ring with black-filled etching that he wears on his right hand and a Maori-style Koru necklace. Suspended on a braided, waxed cord, the pendant consists of a 1.5″-wide carved bone toggle representing a fern frond, said to represent new life or new beginnings, apropos Max’s retirement in paradise. (A “Brosnan Koru” reproduction is available via Amazon.)
In contrast to the beachy vibes of his Koru necklace, Max wears a Panerai Luminor Marina watch, which Panerai Magazine specifically identified as the PAM00091 reference. This hardy automatic watch has a hefty 44mm-wide titanium case with a curved crown guard, worn on a stainless steel three-piece link bracelet. The dark blue anthracite dial has luminous hour indices, non-numerical except for the numbered 12 and 6 o’clock indicators, as well as a date window at 3 o’clock and the Marina’s signature second-counting sub-register at 9 o’clock.
Max keeps the rest of his look simple, appropriately barefoot for the beach where he sports just a pair of dark blue swim trunks.
Cigar in hand, Max awaits Lola at the end of yet another dreadfully easy day in paradise.
What to Imbibe
Max: Luc, what’s in a Caribbean Romance again?
Luc: Light rum, amaretto, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine.
Max: What about the Pink Paradise?
Luc: Coconut rum, amaretto, cranberry juice, orange juice, and pineapple juice.
Max: People actually drink this stuff?
Luc: They love it, you know. Makes them feel exotic.
Max: Gimme a Jack on the rocks. Doesn’t have a fancy name, but if it was good enough for Frank, it’s good enough for me.
Luc: Frank? Who’s Frank?
Max: Sinatra.
Luc: “Did Frank take an umbrella?”
Max: “Not even when it was raining.”
I have to admit that I’d have far more interest than Max in those fruity rum cocktails—like Luc’s touristy customers, they make me feel exotic!—but I also can’t argue with Max’s order of a Jack Daniel’s on the rocks, citing Ol’ Blue Eyes as inspiration.
It’s a hard drink order to mess up, though Sinatra was famously fussy about how he took his: two fingers of Jack Daniel’s with three or four ice cubes, topped off with water in a heavy-bottomed rocks glass. In The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin’, author Bill Zehme recalls how the entertainer resented his drink preparation one evening at the Boston Four Seasons Hotel:
He reached into the glass and began plunking cubes onto the bar. The bartender asked: “Is there a problem, Mr. Sinatra?” Quietly, he explained, “No, but with all this ice, I figure we’re supposed to go skating here or something. That’s not my sport.” He left himself four.
While Max shows a degree of snobbery in his distaste for the Caribbean Romance or Pink Paradise, he at least seems to take no issue with how the oafish Luc (Troy Garrity) pours his whiskey.
How to Get the Look
Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett in After the Sunset (2004)
As you’re planning summer getaways, take inspiration from Max Burdett by dressing simply—I’m talking comfortably broken-in white linen shirt with understated swim trunks simple—while accessorizing distinctively, balancing a beachy necklace with a $6,000 watch.
- White linen short-sleeved shirt with spread collar, plain front, and breast pocket
- Dark blue polyester swim trunks
- Curved bone Maori-style Koru necklace on waxed braided cord
- Silver etched ring
- Panerai Luminor Marina PAM00091 watch with titanium 44mm case and dark blue anthracite dial with luminous hour markers, 3 o’clock date window, and 9 o’clock second-counting sub-register on stainless steel three-piece link bracelet
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
The Quote
You win some, you lose some.
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