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"Golden
'Opportunists'"
by Scott Mantz
"The Opportunists"
Christopher Walken,
Cyndi Lauper
Directed by Myles Connell
You can take
the guy out of the crime, but you sure can't take the crime out
of the guy. At least, that's the unfortunate case with Victor Kelly
(Christopher Walken), a reformed safe-cracker whose desperation
for cash gets him back into trouble. The typically creepy Christopher
Walken gives one of the best performances of his career in "The
Opportunists," a humorous and intensely-paced character-driven film.
Ex-con Victor
Kelly is a mediocre New York auto mechanic who's trying to put his
crooked past behind him. With bills piling up and checks bouncing
left and right, Vic finds himself in a desperate need for cash.
Opportunity knocks (literally) in the form of Michael (Peter McDonald),
a long-lost cousin from Ireland who's looking for a place to stay.
It doesn't take long for Michael to reveal his true intention, which
is to persuade the former burglar into pulling off one final heist.
Vic reluctantly gives in, but not before he proves that this old
dog doesn't need to learn any new tricks.
The concept
of an aging pro called out of retirement for one last play at the
game has been done to death in Hollywood, but nowhere better than
in "Unforgiven." Like that film, the main character here is trying
to turn his back on his past to start a new life. However, when
push comes to shove, you can't change a leopard's spots, and it
doesn't take long for Vic to resort to his old ways. What makes
Vic so special is that his motivation is purely unselfish, as he
only needs the cash to help his family.
Writer/director
Myles Connell thankfully avoids the temptation to resort to bloody
violence or slapstick humor to underscore the film, instead relying
on more sympathetic, emotional, and vulnerable issues to drive his
characters. Where more violent crime dramas like "Pulp Fiction"
or "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" featured a barrage of
action-packed gunfights, "The Opportuni sts" maintains a fresh approach
and an almost noir-ish quality by moving along at an ultra-intense
pace.
The mere mention
of Christopher Walken instantly brings to mind his eclectic body
of work, headlined by some downright bizarre and quirky roles in
"Pulp Fiction," "The Dead Zone," "True Romance," and of course,
"The Deer Hunter." This time around, instead of chewing his way
through his scenes (a la Al Pacino), he holds himself back, allowing
a more vulnerable performance to shine through. Just like Pacino
resisted the temptation to scream his way through crucial scenes
in "The Insider," Walken follows suit, resulting in a character
that rings more true-to-life than any he's ever played before.
Cyndi Lauper
(yes, that Cyndi Lauper!) plays Walken's bar-running girlfriend
with strength and assurance, while Peter McDonald plays the Irishman
who gives Walken his not-so-golden opportunity. Vera Farmiga puts
in a strong performance as Walken's tough-as-nails daughter, and
Donal Logue and Jose Zuniga provide the comic relief as the moronic
security guards who are also in on the scam.
Plans don't
go as expected, and the climax provides for some funny moments.
What's important is that the film stays true to itself and doesn't
go off into some typical Hollywood by-the-book finale with gunfights
and bloodshed. In the end, good things come to those who wait, and
for Walken, who finally plays a relatively normal human being for
once in his life, "The Opportunists" was well worth the wait.
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