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...crime pays
"I'm too old
to play Robin Hood" (Vic) |
In this downbeat drama,
a reformed criminal finds himself led back to a life of crime. Fresh out of
prison, former safecracker Victor Kelly (Christopher Walken) wants to
support his daughter Miriam (Vera Farmiga) and Aunt Dierdre (Anne Pitoniak)
with his new career in auto repair. But Victor's deep in debt, and he's in
no position to say no when he and his Irish gangster cousin Michael (Peter
McDonald) hook up with two security guards (Jose Zuniga and (Donal Logue)
looking for someone who can open a safe. The Opportunists was written and
directed by Myles Connell in his feature debut; the supporting cast includes
pop singer Cyndi Lauper as Victor's girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie
Guide
Leider wurde dieser kleine Independent-Film ja nicht besonders ausgiebig
beworben, obwohl er auf dem amerikanischen Sundance-Festival große Erfolge
feierte. Dabei hat der Film einiges zu bieten: Christopher Walken in seiner
bisher sympathischsten Rolle als Ex-Krimineller, der sich um ein solides
Leben bemüht, Peter McDonald als liebenswerter, etwas dumpfer Aufschneider,
und Cyndi Lauper, die hier einmal nicht auf ihr komödiantisches Talent setzt
und statt dessen in einer dramatischen Rolle glänzt. Zudem besticht der Film
durch seine leichte, entspannte Atmosphäre, die hervorragend zu den
unspektakulären Charakteren paßt. Hier wird eine Geschichte von sogenannten
„kleinen" Leuten erzählt, die sich ohne viel Pathos bemühen, ihren Alltag zu
bewältigen. Regisseur Myles Connell versteht es, auf wunderbare, liebevolle
Weise, diese Menschen ein Stück auf ihrem Weg zu begleiten.
"Einmal Versager, immer Versager." Vic Kelly (Christopher Walken) genießt
nicht gerade die Sonnenseiten des Lebens. Als einstiger König der Safeknacker
hat er bereits sehr unangenehme Erfahrungen mit der Justiz hinter sich. Deshalb
hat er seiner kriminellen Vergangenheit abgeschworen.
Doch der neue Job als Automechaniker hilft Vic nicht über
den Schuldenberg hinweg, der sich vor ihm auftürmt. Als
seine Gläubiger bereits die Messer wetzen, taucht der
unbekannte Cousin Michael (Peter McDonald) aus Irland auf.
Der stellt schnell Kontakt zu Vics alten Kumpanen her und
versucht ihn zu einem ganz und gar todsicheren Plan zu
überreden...
Myles Connell (Buch und Regie) überzeugt in seinem rundum
gelungenen Spielfilm-Debüt mit einer gewitzten, aber
ausdrücklich nicht zur Komödie überhöhten Gaunergeschichte.
Dank sorgfältiger Charakterzeichnungen entsteht neben dem
Krimi auch eine Sozialstudie über ganz normale Malocher, die
in der harten Tretmühle des Lebens gefangen sind und von
besseren Zeiten träumen.
Christopher Walken ist der alles überragende
Hauptdarsteller in diesem kurzweiligen Film. Das ist aber
kein Grund, dass sich seine weniger bekannten Kollegen vor
ihm verstecken müssen.
So gewinnt der irische Schauspieler Peter McDonald trotz
oder gerade wegen seiner etwas zwielichtigen Rolle gleich
mit seinem ersten Auftritt Sympathiepunkte. Die größte
Überraschung ist aber zweifellos die einstige Pop-Ikone
Cyndi Lauper, die hier als Barbesitzerin und Vics Freundin
Sally tatsächlich Schauspieltalent beweist.
When the movie opens, we’re given a glimpse
of Victor prodding around under the hood of a tan Riviera with an oily
crescent wrench. There are no computers, cell phones, or DVD players filling
space in Victor’s dreary home, but there is a pair of orange curtains
and some flower decals adorning a grungy trailer that this one-time
safecracker stashes outside his garage. The kitschy, dated look of nearly
everything in The Opportunists comes across as a bit of a shock in
this age of over produced movies that almost always look good, even
if they’re bad in every other respect.
Written and directed by newcomer Myles
Connell, The Opportunists makes it clear from the beginning that
Victor is struggling with a checkered past and a criminal record. The
consequences of this failed history are everywhere. His twentysomething
daughter, Miriam (Vera Farmiga), is attempting to rebuild some trust and
lives with Victor, after his part in a burglary resulted in eight years
behind bars. But she’s easy on her old man. "The last time you got caught,"
she says, reminding Victor that he’s not a villain, "you gave the money
back, and got a reduced sentence."
 
 
Then there’s Pat, a friend from his
criminal past, eager to talk Victor out of his reformed ways for "an easy
job", while a landlord lurks about demanding rent money. "Tack on an extra
fifteen dollars for the bank charge," he sulks after Victor’s check bounces.
Meanwhile, Victor’s Aunt Diedre will be asked to leave her assisted living
residence unless he can bring her account up to date. While bartending
girlfriend Sally (Cyndi Lauper) is eager to help him out with some extra
savings, her man is too proud to accept help. Victor admits that "being a
regular citizen isn’t working out so well," and Sally smells trouble.
Trouble does arrive in the form of a
young Irishman named Michael (Peter McDonald), who claims to be a "cousin."
Fresh off of a plane from Dublin, Michael’s presence is welcomed by bored
Miriam, even as Victor slams the door in his face. "I’m Uncle Franco’s son,"
Michael insists. "You’re mistaken," fires back Victor. Why would Michael fly
across the ocean to shack up with this disinterested relative? Because, it
seems, Victor’s reputation as a safecracker has been inflated overseas,
where he’s a legend of sorts. Michael has envisioned a dapper gangster and a
chance at some lucrative action, but when he sees Victor as a washed-up,
broken man struggling to go straight, he’s disappointed. Even so, he’s
attracted to Miriam’s spunky enthusiasm, and at her insistence, Victor
eventually houses Michael in a dilapidated old trailer apart from the Kelly
home.
After The Opportunists sorts out
this web of relationships, it sets the scene for Victor’s inevitable return
to crime. And indeed, the movie culminates in a low-key heist involving
crooked security guards, a seedy money transport company, and an unexpected
revelation concerning Michael. Surprisingly, the film’s finale isn’t the
despairing downer it seems to be arriving at. There’s a redemptive
turnaround that, like everything else in The Opportunists, comes
across as casual and unforced.
 It’s difficult not to appreciate this
movie’s uniquely laid-back approach to a sensational subject, with Victor’s
daily routine painted as anything but the frantic and unexpected labyrinth
inhabited by Quentin Tarantino’s underworld characters. But the film pays a
price. By following these unexceptional people through their unexceptional
steps and catching the oftentimes drab sameness of real life, The
Opportunists also comes across as a bit boring. Maybe I’m just another
victim of today’s MTV quick-cutting and television commercial editing,
hungry for the rush of Michael Mann or John Woo. Or maybe I’m pigeonholing
the fine, complex Walken as an actor who should specialize only in freaky
character roles, like the gallery of ghouls he portrayed in True Romance,
Pulp Fiction, Sleepy Hollow, and Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead.
Indeed, Victor Kelly might be Walken’s most
understated role to date. With his friendly but defeated approach to a life
of downsized dreams, Kelly is a nice contrast to the more gullible,
optimistic Michael (convincingly played by Peter McDonald with a wide-eyed,
childlike enthusiasm). Tom Noonan also registers strongly as a seen-it-all
crook that provides Victor with the various tools of his safecracking trade
as needed.
Does The Opportunists work? As a
relaxed character study, I suppose it does. But in acting as a lens with
which to view Victor Kelly’s somewhat lazy routine, the movie lacks
cinematic juice. Following Victor around this barren landscape is like
watching one of TV’s Survivor castaways without the palm trees,
exotic beaches, rats, and elusive million dollar prize. It feels real, but
where’s the hook?
Link
click
Queens colleagues
Christopher Walken from Astoria and Cyndi Lauper from Richmond Hill
appear
together at the premiere of their film, "The Opportunists", 2000
(3)
Interview with Christopher Walken
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CrankyCritic: So what do
you look for when you're picking these small roles? What piqued your
interest about The Opportunists?
Christopher Walken: It's a pretty good part. It's a small movie in terms
of budget and so forth but it's a bigger part than I usually get to
play. Certainly different in that he's a father and a decent person;
more of what you might call a regular person than I usually play.
CrankyCritic: And you know these people...
Christopher Walken: That's my neighborhood where they shot the movie.
The house that I live in in the movie is about two miles from where my
parents live now. I used to pass the building that I was a baby in,
regularly. I was very familiar with that. The curious thing is that the
neighborhood hasn't changed that much in all those years.
The movie won the Festival del Cinema Noir
di Courmayeur dedicated to noir movies (Italy from December 3 to 9,
1999).
Then it has been shown at the
Sundance Film Festival (from January 20 to 30, 2000). It was broadcasted
4 times.
Then it was in the
Cognac crime movie Festival (from April 6 to 9, 2000).
Then it was at The
Seattle International Film Festival (May 20 and 22, 2000).
And then it was shown at the Munich International Film Festival (June 24 to
July 1st, 2000) und auf der Viennale 2000 (13. - 25. Oktober)
"...Mr. Connell uses his cast
well....Ms. Lauper is so good that her few screen appearances make you
want more..." -- Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
"...The real fun comes in watching
Lauper spar with Walken and hold her own nicely..." -- Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone
"...A vehicle for Christopher
Walken, THE OPPORTUNISTS does the great character actor justice..." --
Annlee Ellingson, Box Office
"...THE OPPORTUNISTS is a spare
and classical piece of work, made with deliberation and pared down to
essentials....For veteran star Christopher Walken, it's one of the best,
most compelling performances in a long and active career..." -- Kenneth
Turan, Los Angeles Times
"...The movie links together a
series of uh-oh moments, done with perfect pitch....Walken has been so
good for so long we take him for granted....He is a gifted classical
actor..." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
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