The Pope of Greenwich Village

1984 "Charlie and Paulie. Two dreamers fighting to get lucky."
6.6| 2h1m| R| en
Details

Charlie and his troublesome cousin Paulie decide to steal $150000 in order to back a "sure thing" race horse that Paulie has inside information on. The aftermath of the robbery gets them into serious trouble with the local Mafia boss and the corrupt New York City police department.

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Reviews

Joanna Mccarty Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
jcbutthead86 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 to the two because like a lot of people in the world they are both dreamers and have big aspirations to get what they want whether it's owning a restaurant or making money. While Charlie and Paulie have problems with each other they are still family and care about one another even when bad things are happening all around them and it is the relationship between Charlie and Paulie is one of the things that drives the film and is the film because it's funny,real and true to life. The ending of The Pope Of Greenwich Village is amazing,funny and surprising and leaves with a smile feeling like everything will be alright for Charlie and Paulie in the long run. A great ending.The whole cast is outstanding. Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts are excellent and at their best as Charlie and Paulie,with Rourke bringing a coolness and charisma and Roberts being funny and over the top and the two have great scenes and chemistry together. Daryl Hannah does a wonderful job as Diane,Charlie's girlfriend. Geraldine Page earned a best supporting Actress Oscar Nomination for her small but terrific performance as Mrs. Ritter,Bunky's Mother. Kenneth McMillan is outstanding as Barney,a locksmith that helps Charlie and Paulie. Burt Young is fantastic and menacing as Bed Bug Eddie,a vicious Gangster. M. Emmett Walsh is great as always in his small role as Burns,a New York cop. Tony Mustaine is effective as Uncle Pete,Paulie's Uncle. Jack Kehoe is sensational as Bunky,a New York Cop.The direction by Stuart Rosenberg is great,with Rosenberg with Rosenberg doing a simple but effective job and sometimes moving the camera and giving the movie a great style and pace. Wonderful job,Rosenberg.The score by Dave Grusin is fantastic,moody,dramatic and light and matches the tone of the film perfectly. Great score,Grusin. There is also a memorable use of Frank Sinatra's classic song Summer Wind which is used a few times in the film.In final word,if you love Crime Dramas,Gangster Films,Mickey Rourke or Eric Roberts,I highly suggest you see The Pope Of Greenwich Village,an excellent,underrated and overlooked Crime Drama that is Rourke and Roberts at their best. Highly Recommended. 10/10.
deemo31 I don't give tens. Just in case there is a better movie kicking around I haven't seen yet. Is The Pope a GREAT film? Probably not. But if you ever "banged around the Village for a dose of sanity" as Charlie says, you know how realistic this really is. People who live on the street...not homeless but on the street nonetheless...have a different code of ethics and loyalty that people who do, well do not. Paully and Charlie are Italian third cousins. But as Barnie the Clock guy says, that's like twin brothers in an Irish family. And this movie proves it.Roberts is a founding member of "Overactors Annonymous." But even in that context, he pulls off one of the greatest street guy performances I've ever seen. Charley is perhaps a bit more slick and intelligent, but he's still a street guy with a bit more responsibility. There is something magic to having no place to go. Banging around in the streets, shooting the breeze with Vinnie the Cheese Man and talking about Artificual Inspiration. (You gotta see it to know what I mean.) Two losers screw around with a psycho maniac. Maybe that's the plot. But trust me, it isn't the story.Great? I don't know. But a must see.
flystv Saw "The Pope" again last night. Hadn't looked at it in a few tears but it really is like a fine wine. Something I missed in the comments. Roberts and Rourke are at their best, but Darryl Hannah is really fine as Diane. She shows she can keep up with these two maniacs and she's a nice counterpoint to Robert's over the top Paulie. My 2 favorite lines which didn't make the list of quotes, but should have: Paulie: "Sometimes you just got to cowboy it, Chaloots."andCharlie: (to Diane) Hit me again and see if I change. Go ahead. Hit me again and see if I change."Kudos to Stu Rosenberg. This and Cool Hand Luke. Small but powerful body of work.
wes-connors Mickey Rourke (he's Charlie) and Eric Roberts (he's Paulie) play a pair of poor Italian restaurant workers fired when the latter is caught stealing. Daryl Hanna is around to attract the lecherous glances. Geraldine Page and Kenneth McMillan are around to attract the awards conscious.Most obvious is the performance of Mr. Roberts - possibly, the movie fails because he puts more into his character than he puts into the key relationship with Mr. Rourke's character; for whatever reasons, Roberts steals the all the attention. Even when Rourke hysterically trashes his home, it's because of Roberts more than anything (in your mind's eye). Roberts adds some interesting bits to his character - the hair, the accent, the thing he does with his tongue ... he is quite memorable. But, the film's main character, if you had to pick one, is supposed to be Rourke. That character doesn't work, either. The Italian gang led by the "Bed Bug" makes it a "dangerous crime comedy" when it isn't a "serious buddy film".There is a story - a Roberts scheme to rob a safe peaks about mid-film; it is well done, and involves Ms. Page's winning performance of a cop's mother. Though exciting, you'll find little blood (even in a gruesome scene). An interesting, albeit failed, character study from director Stuart Rosenberg. ***** The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) Stuart Rosenberg ~ Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Geraldine Page