“The Pope of Greenwich Village” is a great and underrated mob movie from the summer of 1984. While it lacks some of the infamy of other films of the era, it’s a fun watch and a perfect highlight for Mob Movie March. Based on the Vincent Patrick novel of the same name, the film stars Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts as two cousins who inadvertently steal a fortune from a ruthless crime boss, played by the great Burt Young.
We know the extremes of Mickey Rourke – from the brutish Marv in “Sin City” to the slick ladies’ man in “Angel Heart,” Rourke’s physical appearance has gone from dawn to dusk in two decades. In “Pope,” Rourke stars as Charlie, and demonstrates why, in the mid 80’s, he was the next in line as a leading man. Rourke oozes charisma, and channels his internal and external Bruce Willis (looking and sounding exactly like him).
Charlie and his bumbling cousin Paulie (Eric Roberts) work low end jobs at a Mafioso type restaurant in the Italian neighborhood of Greenwich Village. While Charlie has aspirations of owning his own place, Paulie is more preoccupied with petty crimes and being a simple shister. The pair are amazing together. Roberts has excelled at many roles and like Rourke, has a very wide scope of ability. Here, he is flawless as the sidekick to the uber cool Charlie. Together, they form a perfect pairing of low lives. “You’re an amateur, like me. Charlie tells Paulie after hearing about the intended heist. “We’re not professional thieves.”
“The Pope of Greenwich Village” uses its setting to make the story gel with the two leads. There’s just something about 1980s New York City as a backdrop that makes any movie, particularly one that focuses on the criminal underworld, visually and historically astonishing. It has a dark atmosphere with brooding architecture, ripe with beauty and urban decay. One scene shows Charlie and Paulie on a rooftop discussing the heist. We see a great view that includes crumbled bricks and dilapidated factories as well the Empire State Building towering into the clouds. Toss in the crooning of Frank Sinatra, and the visuals and audio are mesmerizing.
At two hours, the movie paces a little slow, particularly the second act. Several characters and side plots could be trimmed or cut completely with no damaging effect. Charlie lives with his girlfriend Diane (Daryl Hannah), and while she’s great, and acts as a bit of a catalyst for the motives of the character, it’s a pretty minor part. Additionally we get a scheme Paulie has cooked involving a racehorse, but against the main drop of the movie, it’s unnecessary.
The final act makes up for the sluggish middle. We get the confrontation between the cousins and Bed Bug Eddie (Burt Young), a ruthless and sadistic old school mobster. Supporting characters are excellent as well, with Kenneth McMillian as Barney – an Irishman who helps the cousins, and Geraldine Page who, though only in two scenes, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Mob goons are played by greats like Tony Musante (TV’s ‘Oz’) and one of my all-time favorites Frank Vincent.
“The Pope of Greenwich Village” is a good movie and one that you should make sure to watch if you’re unfamiliar with it. It’s got the cheese of the 1980s and some truly memorable acting performances.
