The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)

The Pope Of Greenwich Village is an excellent,underrated and overlooked Crime Drama that combines great direction,amazing performances from Mickey Rourke,Eric Roberts and a terrific supporting cast,a fantastic script and a outstanding film score that make The Pope Of Greenwich an entertaining and memorable film that is Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts at their best.

Based on the novel of the same name by Vincent Patrick and set in the Greenwich Village section of New York,The Pope Of Greenwich Village tells the story of cousins Charlie(Mickey Rourke)and Paulie(Eric Roberts)two guys who have big ambitions Charlie wants to have his own restaurant and Paulie a schemer that wants to make money but the two have financial troubles. With no other options,Charlie and Paulie with the help of clock repairman and locksmith Barney(Kenneth McMillian)decide to rob a safe at a local business. When the robbery goes wrong Charlie and Paulie have to deal Italian Mob Boss Bed Bug Eddie(Burt Young)as well as the cops in order to get out of danger.

Released in 1984,The Pope Of Greenwich Village is a brilliant Crime Drama while earning decent reviews from critics and receiving an Oscar nomination wasn't a hit at the Box Office and didn't get much attention from movie audiences at the time. But,thankfully overtime The Pope Of Greenwich Village has found Cult status throughout the years and is not only seen as a great Crime Drama but is also seen as one of the most underrated movies of the 1980s. I think that one of the reasons The Pope Of Greenwich Village has found Cult status and is an entertaining film is because the film gives viewers a different kind of Crime Drama that combines Crime Drama,Gangster Film and a Buddy Movie and gives the movie not only a incredible energy that keeps you glued to the screen for 121 minutes. What I also like about The Pope Of Greenwich Village is that despite having all of the trademark elements of Crime Dramas such as vicious Criminals,Gangsters,Cops as well as common elements including violence and betrayal,the story in POGV is handled with a great balance of dark and light elements with the dark elements being the Drama,Gangsters and violence and the light elements being the Comedy and Humor showing the friendship and antics of Charlie and Paulie or Paulie by himself which is funny and at times over the top. Another thing that I like about POGV is the authentic feel of the film whether it's the New York locations throughout the city or neighborhoods or the characters and their streetwise attitudes that don't feel forced or fake but real and accurate. The New York locations and attitudes of the characters at times reminded me of Martin Scorsese's classic Gangster Films such as Goodfellas and Mean Streets(a film that The Pope Of Greenwich Village is often compared to)and like Scorsese's New York City Crime Dramas,POGV brings you into a world that is dangerous,violent and at times funny and you are absorbed and mesmerized. The screenplay by Vincent Patrick(adapted from his own novel)is terrific and well-written with Patrick giving the characters dialog that is tough and gritty as well as rich and amazing with most of the characters having depth and power. Patrick also has great scenes in the film that are memorable and truly unforgettable and match the world and tone that The Pope Of Greenwich Village is showing. Like I said before POGV is a buddy movie and it is very true with the main characters Charlie and Paulie because even if the characters aren't always likable we relate t

Fmovies: Eric Roberts has one of the most impressive resumes I have ever seen. He practically arrived on the planet with an acting job lined up. He brought Paulie alive in a way that is so real, so raw, that I could taste the blood under his bandaged hand. Robert's character, Paulie, takes you on a wicked emotional ride with highs and lows so sensational that the viewer easily relates on a visceral level with such sensation that it is impossible not to carry Paulie around with you in your head for days afterward.

Mickey Rourke is "The Pope of Greenwich Village" in this 1984 film also starring Eric Roberts, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan, Darryl Hannah and Burt Young. Rourke is Charlie, who, with his cousin Paulie, rob a mobster with the help of a safecracker (McMillan). Both Rourke and Roberts are in fine form against the New York background. Everything about this film is seedy. The detectives all look out of shape and overtired, everybody has smoker's skin or a drinker's red nose. As Charlie, Rourke wants a big score so he can buy a restaurant, but his fatal flaw is listening to his idiotic cousin Paulie, a total loser and a weakling, who gets him involved in the robbery of a vicious mobster where a cop is killed at the scene. The attractive Rourke uses his sweet smile to good advantage and underplays; it's a shame he underwent such severe plastic surgery and took his career off track. Roberts plays Paulie as completely pathetic, so pathetic that at times, he's funny, even when his circumstances aren't.

The mob movies were in their heyday when "The Pope of Greenwich Village" was made, so it probably got lost in the shuffle. It's not a big film, but the acting and locations are impressive. Look for Geraldine Page in a small but showy role as the dead cop's mother, a woman who can handle the police better than anyone.

The Pope of Greenwich Village fmovies. Rourke & Roberts pre-fame.

Charlie Moran (Rourke) seemed more like an Irish hood instead of an Italian. Rourke basically set a trend on the type of characters he plays. He's basically re-did this role again and again. And why not? He's great at it.

Eric Roberts is a chronic over actor. But unlike most, he can be so entertaining. Watching him chew the scenery here was the most fun. The whole "He should die, die, die...." scene after they get fired in the beginning is still a corker.

Daryl Hannah is not the best actress, but she seemed to thrive here as Charlie's straight girlfriend.

And kudos to Walsh, Young, McMillan (R.I.P), and the brilliant Geraldine Page (also R.I.P) for their roles. Page almost stole the film.

And I think Bedbug Eddie (Young) was based on the late NYC mafia leader Fat Tony Salerno. He also conducted most of his business in a no frills back room. He also didn't drink.

Good character study.

Remember when Mickey Rourke was good? Remember Eric Roberts before the "Best of the Best" series? Remember Darryl Hannah at her finest? If not, this surprisingly good film will show you why they all were once established talents (or in Hannah's case, just nice to look at). The dialogue is New York street, but done so well it doesn't feel out of place. A must-see movie for anyone who loves NY, or just stories about endearing losers trying to make it big.

Fans of this film have no problem quoting the dialogue word for word. The acting by the entire cast is brilliant. Mickey Rourke gives an outstanding performance, and I'd put his acting in this film up against any other performances by great actors.

If you haven't seen this, you've got to rent it. I think it's become an overlooked film.