hi_from_darren Even though it's not a big budget film, it is the acting that makes this movie so enjoyable to watch. Each of the actors gives a believable performance.I already knew that she was a very talented singer/songwriter but who would have guessed that Cyndi Lauper was such a wonderful actor. It's a pity that she didn't have a larger role. I hope that she continues with her acting.The DVD contains absolutely no extras - not even the movie trailer. It was never given a cinema release in Austalia but turned up on DVD at a budget price.

george.schmidt THE OPPORTUNISTS (2000) ** Christopher Walken, Peter McDonald, Cyndi Lauper, Vera Farmiga, Donal Logue, JoseZuniga, Tom Noonan, Anne Pitoniak. Walken gives another of hispatented sublime performances in this somewhat stilted andstandard `last heist' crime drama as a ne'er do well automechanic in Queens lured back into the fray by a self-proclaimeddistant relative (McDonald, who has no screen presencewhatsoever) from Ireland. Lauper acquits herself as Walken'slong-suffering girlfriend. (Dir: Myles Connell)

moonspinner55 After a distant cousin comes to stay with him, one-time safe-cracker Christopher Walken is lured into taking one more heist assignment. Too-familiar story nevertheless has interesting elements, both funny and dramatic. This safe-cracker has not come far in the last decade: he has to rent a fancy car as a ruse, his cousin is a crafty but green accomplice, and the two security guards in on the scheme are schnooks. Mildly enjoyable despite an overall feeling of lethargy and predictability. Cast is strong, with Walken doing his usual even, solid work and Cyndi Lauper (of all people) very attractive as a no-nonsense bar-proprietress. ** from ****

Matthew Stechel Ah, the joys of watching Walken -I could watch him read the phonebook and be captivated (hey he should do that sometime) This film is an excellent one. It has a very nice low-key mood. It takes place in Queens (where I live and breathe) It has a great safe-cracking heist plot as well as enjoyable scenes of Walken practicing his craft. see this movie when you are feeling well i don't know if i should say down but when you feel that you're miserable i guess this is a fine film to watch--not that its depressing but I mean thelow-key approach works perfectly and the score fits in perfectly with the movie. which i for one enjoyed here more and really only noticed during the end-credits and it has actuall characters as opposed to cardboard cutouts that the actors take and make nbeautiful music with. . The real joy in watching this movie is in the performances and in them the way the story unfolds. It is so great to see walken acting in a calm role that is much more of a person then the usuall role he takes the scene-stealing villian (which I must admit I am a huge fan of) but walken is so much more than that as witnessed in great films like this, and(I'm not comparing films here) natrually his oscar wining role in "The Deer Hunter" I"ve seen him on stage in Joyce's "The Dead" and a play which he wrote himself some years ago called "Him" Ah that was a great play seriously best damn play! Ok, so you know I think the world of Walken and that any and every movie could benefit form giving him a bit part in it but I don't mean to take away from the rest of the cast here and this film is excellently acted all around I mean this is truly a character film and this movie simply could not work if they didn't have a good cast First of all- Who knew Cyndi Lauper could act?? I mean I liked the three or four epiosdes she did on "Mad about You" but she wasn't holding her own with walken there. While she's not in that many scenes she's surprisingly good and therefore hope to see her in something else that's good Donal Louge who's everywhere now (thoughts I once had about Walken) continues to build up his resume quite impressivelyand of course Peter McDonald as the instigator of the whole film He has a reletively thick irish accent but if you listen carefully its not hard at all to get what he's saying and Jose Zuniga and Vera Farmiga and oh hey Tom Noonan who makes a brief return from career obscurity (or is it oblivion at this stage) to play that wacky supplier of safe-bustin materials His career should be resurrected if only briefly Ok well the characters are great and its the actors who bring the characters to life so they deserved acolades for that but the biggest accolade has to be for writer director O'Connell who made a heist film that's really a character film and how many films can we say that about.I honestly will keep an eyeout for his next film. (I hope that Abel Ferrar is taking notes after The New Rose Hotel although The king of NY is awesome and The Funeral is terrific too but still I'm digressing again) Its low key charm was nothing short of brillant and its running time well who needs running time was without a doubt just right. While not like a fast movie the movie moves pretty swiftly as it reaches its ending without any real lull in the procedings Ok while the movie isnt perfect (i did find myself wishing that walken would just get to deliver a line in signature style which he does very quickly (you know the whole theatric gestural thing that i love)and he does have some good lines that he gets to deliver deadpan while remainning perfectly in character. ("i'm beginning to think there's something wrong with you." is just such an example) )So in Summary as you can tell I am a huge Christopher Walken fan and even with some of the dreck he's been in--he's always entertaining and this film I can say with the utmost confidence is not dreck and if you're in the right mood-- really enjoyable. So Thank You Mr. O' Connell for writing a good script for the greatest actor in the universe!!!!