The Pope of Greenwich Village **** (1984, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page) – Classic Movie Review 6046

Director Stuart Rosenberg’s 1984 comedy is a tastily juicy bite of Eighties Big Apple street life.

Vincent Patrick writes this tale of a young New York Italian punk and his hopeless cousin trying to be big-time criminals but failing because of their small-time intellects. It is that familiar set-up where they face the inevitable consequences from the local Mafia boss and the corrupt New York City police after they unwittingly rob the mob of $150,000 to put a bet on a horse.

The Italian stereotypes are broad and one might have wished for actors more Latin than Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke as Charlie and Paulie.

But the atmosphere is as thick as spaghetti Bolgnese sauce and some of the smaller characters delightfully realised by the stalwart actors (Geraldine Page gained her seventh Oscar nomination as Mrs Ritter).

Also in the cast are Daryl Hannah, Kenneth McMillan, Tony Musante, M Emmet Walsh, Burt Young, Jack Kehoe, Philip Bosco, Val Avery, Joe Grifasi, Tony DiBenedetto, Ronald Maccone, Betty Miller and Frank Vincent.

The following year, Geraldine Page went on to win the Best Actress Oscar for The Trip to Bountiful (1985).

RIP Frank Vincent ((1937–2017).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6046

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