The Pope of Greenwich Village

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.

From the opening credits with that smooth Frank Sinatra hit "Summer Wind", this movie never lost my attention. A quaint story of two wanna- be rich guys from Little Italy who unsuccessfully stumble through life trying everything to make a buck without having to work for it. You can't help but sympathize however with the characters of ROURKE and ROBERTS. They leave a lasting impression with the viewer conveying how life can be brutal in all aspects; whether emotional or tangible. And how good guys really do finish last. It was nice to see a measure of revenge for the two in the last scene at the hands of crime boss BURT YOUNG. DARRYL HANNAH adds a great supporting role as ROURKE'S girlfriend who quickly loses patience with him. The one person I was most impressed with was MICKEY ROURKE. He showed such great promise as an actor in this film-his best, hands down. I still can't believe how he allowed himself to deteriorate through the years in the way he has. He truly could have been one of the greats in the industry. That is far from an overstatement. Anyhow, this is a can't miss film-a sleeper. In my opinion, as good or better then some of my other favorites like Goodfellas, The Godfather etc. Enjoy it over and over.

Paulie and Charlie (Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke) are two very dim hustlers...hustlers who don't want to work for a living but who chase get rich quick schemes...often illegal ones at that. These gangster wannabes are also cousins and between the two of them, there isn't a lot of common sense!

Eventually, they end up getting in over their heads...something you can't help but expect from these mooks! They get a partner and commit a burglary...a caper that goes VERY wrong. First, the place ends up being owned by the mob....oops! Second, during the burglary, a cop accidentally gets killed! So, you can only assume that sooner or later they'll end up in prison or at the bottom of the Hudson River! Can the pair manage, somehow, to avoid either fate?

When I say that the pair are dim, it's not an insult to the actors...this is just the way their parts were written. Robert, in particular, is a fine character actor and I enjoyed see him, curly perm and all, in the film. I must say, however, that he's best in roles as villains. 'Nuff said about that. So is this any good? Yes, though you do find it hard to root for anyone in the film. After all, Charlie and Paulie are jerks and it's hard to sympathize with them. And for some, this might make the story tough to stick with...though it is well written and well made. Never dull and only occasionally misses the mark.

By the way, Paulie's plans to use artificial insemination to breed race horses is one that is impossible. I learned this from a friend in the horse racing industry. To become a registered thoroughbred and eligible to race, a horse cannot be the product of artificial insemination nor embryo transfer....a way, I assume, that they'll keep the industry more exclusive.

Watching 'The Pope Of Greenwich Village' almost twenty years after it was released you can't but help think a)what a great movie it is, and b)what the hell happened to Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts, two of the most exciting actors of the 1980s? Rourke drifted off into boxing and b-grade action movies, and apart from some great cameos in movies by Sean Penn, Steve Buscemi and Vincent Gallo ('The Pledge', 'The Animal Factory', 'Buffalo '66' respectively) has almost been forgotten by the current generation of movie fans, and Roberts has also made way too many bad straight to video action films and is regarded as a joke by most people. It's so sad what happened to their careers, but this movie sees them both at their peak, and boy, they were both GREAT actors! The movie is directed by Stuart Rosenberg who made my all time favourite movie 'Cool Hand Luke' back in the 1960s, and Michael Cimino ('The Deerhunter') also worked on it uncredited. I don't know if this means it was a troubled shoot, I don't know the background details, but if that's the case it certainly doesn't show on screen. Some people find this movie too rambling and anecdotal, but I loved it. It's a superior character driven buddy movie (which reminds me in places of Cimino's earlier overlooked 'Thunderbolt And Lightfoot'). Rourke and Roberts are dynamite together, and I would recommend this movie for them alone, but the supporting cast includes a credible turn from Daryl Hannah and a whole bunch of great character actors - M. Emmett Walsh, Burt Young, Val Avery, Jack Kehoe, and especially Kenneth McMillan (who later appeared with Roberts in another great "forgotten" 1980s movie 'Runaway Train') who plays a heartbreaking role as the poor guy who gets enmeshed in Roberts and Rourke's doomed robbery plan. 'The Pope Of Greenwich Village' deserves to be rediscovered. Any film buff who appreciates good acting will enjoy it, and youngsters who aren't aware of Mickey Rourke, or who regard Eric Roberts as little more than a figure of fun should check it out and be amazed.

Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts gets the chance to really shine. Two young up n coming actors who both put in a great performance. It is fantastic to see these two really get in to their parts. What we get to see is actors withe pure talent at their bests.Even Daryl Hannah is really strong. Even down to the smallest part the movie is great casted. This is a must for everyone who loves great acting! Geraldine Page was nominated for best supporting actress, other smaller parts include M. Emmet Walsh, Burt Young(Oscar nominated for Rocky), Jack Kehoe (known from The Sting and Serpico) and many many more. With New York City as a backdrop for the story, this is almost as god as it gets. A classic!