Opportunity

Mormon gangsters, crypto wallets, and oodles of makeshift charm, filmmaker Rusty Rehl’s indie crime comedy Opportunity gives viewers plenty to take advantage of, including a central bromance that will appeal to fans of Seth Rogen films.

Jon Waters stars as Patrick, a man living in his van trying to get back on his feet in life. Having been rejected by the banks for money, he turns to a dangerous loan shark to help him purchase a house but gets embroiled in a dangerous favour that will see Patrick and his hapless pal Donny (Quinn Aikele) running from guns, cops, an yes…Mormons (although they prefer to be called Latter-Day Saints).

Opportunity as an indie film has a lot of punk spirit, nothing is off-limits here. From opening the film with a profound quote from Sun Tzu to characters calling each other “woke” and “snowflake”, Rusty Rehl wants his audience in a state of unpredictability throughout. Patrick and Donny’s banterific relationship is the core of the movie and if you get on board with their foul-mouthed hijinks there is plenty of enjoyment to be found here. Their similarity as characters arguably makes it difficult to fully understand them, for example, Patrick seems reluctant to work for the loan shark initially, whilst Donny is totally up for it, but this hesitancy from the former seems completely gone not long later when he is maniacally breaking into a safe.

The filmmaking is ambitious, stringing together numerous scenes in different locations and action sequences with sporadic violence, all with a tongue-in-cheek vibe. It’s hokey for the most part and viewers are unlikely to be waxing lyrical about the technical proficiency here but strength is found in the more emotional moments between our two leads.

Jon Waters gives a strong performance as Patrick, emanating passionate energy at his character’s onslaught of life’s cruelties. Quinn Aikele is less sturdy with the dialogue but has a likeable magnetism making him a captivating onscreen presence. The supporting cast is an eclectic bunch of misfits but it is Gabby Atkinson as Donny’s long-suffering girlfriend Abby who shines the most - her potent hatred of Patrick is simply sumptuous.

A rough around the edges production leaves the film feeling more endearing than compelling and there are certainly improvements that could be made to the convoluted crime plot but this will likely find a strong audience in the indie comedy scene. The quick-fire editing means it doesn’t outstay its welcome and it has balls and attitude, which, after all, are all the Opportunity one needs.