Movie · 1984 · Action, Comedy, Crime · 2h 1m · R · English
Curator score: 4.0/10 (20.4K ratings)
Charlie and Paulie. Two dreamers fighting to get lucky.
Overview
Charlie and his troublesome cousin Paulie decide to steal class="h-100"50000 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.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.0/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.41/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Metacritic: 58
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Stuart Rosenberg
Production
United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cast
Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan, Tony Musante, M. Emmet Walsh, Burt Young, Jack Kehoe, Philip Bosco, Val Avery, Joe Grifasi, Tony DiBenedetto, Ronald Maccone, Betty Miller, Thomas A. Carlin, Leonard Termo, Marty Brill, John Eric Bentley, Ed Setrakian
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A scrappy, very 1980s New York crime comedy with strong chemistry between its leads, memorable character-actor energy, and enough grime and absurdity to make the chaos entertaining. It’s messier than it is elegant, but that looseness is part of the appeal.
Best for
fans of darkly comic crime capers
viewers who like loud, volatile acting and odd-couple chemistry
people drawn to gritty 1980s New York atmosphere
audiences who enjoy mob-adjacent stories that tilt toward farce
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted heist movie
you’re sensitive to dated gender politics and macho behavior
you prefer polished, realistic crime dramas
you dislike broad performances and tonal whiplash
Overview
The Pope of Greenwich Village is the kind of rough-edged crime comedy that survives on attitude, chemistry, and sheer personality. Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts make a compelling pair of small-time hustlers whose bad decisions spiral into mob trouble, and the movie keeps finding new ways to turn desperation into entertainment. It’s less interested in clean plotting than in mood, momentum, and the pleasure of watching two guys dig themselves deeper.
Worth noting
What stands out most is the film’s lived-in New York texture and its willingness to swing between menace and absurdity. One moment it’s a bruising street-level crime story, the next it’s practically a cartoon of bad luck and bad judgment. That instability can be frustrating, but it also gives the movie its cult appeal.
Bottom line
The supporting cast adds a lot of color, and the film’s exaggerated performances are part of the package rather than a flaw to be fixed. Some of the gender dynamics are very much of their era, and the story can feel loose around the edges, but if you’re in the mood for a sleazy, funny, slightly unhinged 80s crime picture, it delivers.
Top Letterboxd reviews
theriverjordan (2★) · 147 likes
“The Pope of Greenwich Village” is the Italian American movie version of eating at Olive Garden, when a reservation at Carbone was almost within reach.
“Pope” follows two Italian American cousins who accidentally steal from the mob to make ends meet, and stars Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts. Neither actor has Italian heritage. Now, this never stopped directors the likes of Coppola from casting out of culture. Where it becomes an issue - is that the pair spend the film… more
David Whitman (4★) · 140 likes
Charlie (Mickey Rourke) is fired from his job as a restaurant manager when his cousin Paulie (Eric Roberts), who is a waiter, gets caught skimming checks. With both of them out of work, Paulie comes to Charlie and enlists his help in a ‘foolproof’ robbery. The robbery does not go well and they soon find out that the money belongs to local mob boss Bed Bug Eddie (Burt Young).
This very entertaining dark comedy was supposed to star Robert De… more
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3.5★) · 117 likes
Do you know those movies that have a certain magic that even when nothing truly special happens, you can't help but like them and enjoy them? Something like that happened with this one as we see these two hustlers strive to achieve their dreams, just to become victims of their own ambitions.
Rourke and Roberts chemistry is perfect in this film. You can't help but be drawn by Mickey's charm and Eric, as basically the comic relief, was great thanks… more
Jerry (2★) · 100 likes
Eric Roberts is literally a cartoon character in this movie. Like, you know those stupid SNL mobster sketches? It’s as if they plucked him straight out of one of those. Everyone else is fine, I guess. Rourke isn’t too convincing as an Italian either, but at least he turns in a decent performance that carries some emotional heft. Daryl Hannah always bores me and, while the supporting cast of character actors collectively steal the show in my mind, there’s no… more Eric Roberts is literally a cartoon character in this movie. Like, you know those stupid SNL mobster sketches? It’s as if they plucked him straight out of one of those. Everyone else is fine, I guess. Rourke isn’t too convincing as an Italian either, but at least he turns in a decent performance that carries some emotional heft. Daryl Hannah always bores me and, while the supporting cast of character actors collectively steal the show in my mind, there’s no… more
1987 · Crime, Thriller, Drama · 1h 42m · R · Curator 8.3/10 (25.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A sharper, more controlled con-artist film that still shares the same world of hustles and manipulation.