Stars: Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Eric Roberts, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan, Burt Young

Director: Stuart Rosenberg

Summary: Adapted from Vincent Patrick's best-seller, the story follows two small-time crooks who plan a fool-proof heist in New York's Little Italy district. Their scheme goes sour fast, and the Mafia is after their blood...

THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE tells the gritty story of Charlie (Mickey Rourke) and his cousin Paulie (Eric Roberts), two down-on-their-luck small-time hoods out to make a score in New York's Little Italy. When their plan goes bad, they find themselves in trouble with the local mob, as well as the law. The film was adapted from Vincent Patrick's own best-seller.

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Set among the Italian-American community of Manhattan and adapted by Vincent Patrick from his own novel, 1984's The Pope of Greenwich Villagejust about gets by on its charm. It stars Mickey Rourke as Charlie, a small-time grafter who is on the point of making his big move and breakaway. Unfortunately, the pull of family ties means that he's hampered by his cousin Paulie (Eric Roberts), an ambitious and excitable idiot who manages to cock up absolutely everything he turns his hand to, bringing down Charlie with him every time. After he gets the pair of them sacked from a restaurant, Paulie helps set up a safecracking deal with older hand Kenneth MacMillan. Trouble is, they're robbing the local mafia boss.

Rourke and Roberts' relationship is modelled closely on that of Harvey Keitel and Robert DeNiro in Scorcese's Mean Streets, only without quite the same harrowing consequences. This being the 1980s there's much De Niro-esque methodology, which generally consists of repeating lines at least twice ("Fix your tie! Fix your tie!"). The element of improv sees the film veer off course occasionally, while Darryl Hannah is her usual oddly semi-detached self in the role of Rourke's girlfriend. However, it's Roberts' performance as the exasperating and energetic Paulie which carries the film, with solid support from numerous Goodfellasand Sopranosregulars.

On the DVD:The Pope of Greenwich Villagearrives on disc in a decent enough but hardly pristine print. The sole extra is the original trailer, which means the only real benefit of acquiring this on DVD is storage convenience. --David Stubbs

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Original Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menu, Chapter Selection
Subtitles:	Danish, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
Year:	1984
Release Date:	May 6, 2002
Runtime:	116 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	17049 D V D
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Wide, Screen, Village, Pope, Greenwich
Genre:	Comedy