The Opportunists (2000)

A struggling auto mechanic with a criminal past agrees to one last heist to pay off his debts.

Director:

Myles Connell

Writer:

Myles Connell

Stars:

Christopher Walken, Peter McDonald, Anne Pitoniak

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Walken	...	Vic Kelly
Peter McDonald	...	Michael Lawlor (as Peter Mcdonald)
Anne Pitoniak	...	Aunt Dee
Kate Burton	...	Rest Home Sister
Jim Mayzik	...	Rest Home Priest
Vera Farmiga	...	Miriam Kelly
Donal Logue	...	Pat Duffy
Cyndi Lauper	...	Sally Mahon
Paul D'Amato	...	Dylan
Wally Dunn	...	Harry
Olek Krupa	...	Ted Walikaki
Chuck Cooper	...	Arnon Morris
John Ortiz	...	Ismail Espinoza
José Zúñiga	...	Jesus Del Toro (as Jose Zuniga)
Branden Vega	...	Tony Del Toro

Storyline

Vic is a struggling auto mechanic with a safe-cracking past and a lot of debt. His girlfriend runs a bar and offers to loan him the money she's saved for remodeling, but Vic is reluctant to take it. When a long-lost cousin from Ireland shows up on his doorstep, the two team up for one last heist.

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Plot Keywords:

debt | heist | auto mechanic | bar | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

Crime pays.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Polish

Release Date:

11 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alkalom szüli a...

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$46,967, 13 August 2000

Gross USA:

$584,054

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$584,054

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clinica Estetico, Eureka Pictures, Flashpoint (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When they are renovating the bar, the painter in the background is moving the paint roller up and down the wall, but no paint is transferring onto the wall.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to Ma Connell and the clan. Special thanks to Adele, Bobby and the rest of the gang at Buffa's.

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Soundtracks

Alone In This House
Written by Joe Flood
Performed by The Flying Neutrinos
Published by Jungle Curry Music
Administered by Bug Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Artists Only Records

User Reviews

Worth A Look, Good Small Film

This is worth taking a look at. Walken does a commendable job as the small-time crook, now out and self-employed, trying to stay honest fixing cars in a garage. Cindi Lauper is good, piling on a thick NYC accent, first time I've seen her in a movie. She's likeable, very grounded in the movie. The supporting cast is very real. The result is, you don't like many of them a lot. They're average people, and we see them in less than flattering scenes. To that extent, you do like them because they're dealing the best way they know with events.

The movie works, in part because of what it doesn't do. It doesn't make us endure one of those speeches the wife or girlfriend or best pal gives the ex-con, just before he's about to commit to one more heist. Here, Lauper just tells Walken to hit the road, she knows somethings up, and it's gonna spoil the plans they made. Very low-key. No need to get into melodrama, everybody knows the Walken character, they're not going to change his mind with wailing.

I wouldn't drive across town to see the film, but if it's convenient, this is a good character study. It has some humor, too, but only as a byproduct of things going on, not a goal. The tone of it reminded me of the movie, Thief, but only in the sense that we're watching people who live in a realm most of us never go. I'd rather see this kind of movie than another one of those idiotic gross-out comedies.