Coup d'éclat commence là où s'achèvent la plupart des films ayant pour héros des cambrioleurs.
"After the Sunset" begins where most action capers end - with master thieves Max and Lola (Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek) escaping to a tropical paradise to enjoy the spoils of their labor. The thieves are content to settle into their new life after crime, until their nemesis from the FBI (Woody Harrelson) tracks them down, convinced that their "retirement" is actually a cover for their true intentions of pulling off a million-dollar heist on a nearby "diamond cruise." The allure of the alleged scheme captures Max and Lola’s attention and sets off a cat and mouse game of friendship, suspicion and thievery.