The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Charlie and his troublesome cousin Paulie decide to steal $150,000 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.
2 connections found
View:
2 connections, in both directions
What critics compared The Pope of Greenwich Village to
The real-life Tony was so colorful he starred as New York mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi on The Sopranos, and also appeared in The Godfather, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Donnie Brasco.
But here, he gives the kind of performance that reminds us why he was so well-regarded in the early stages of his career — back when he was making movies such as "Diner" (1982) and "The Pope of Greenwich Village" (1984), rather than his later turns in exploitative trash such as "Wild Orchid" (1989), "Spun" (2002) and "Domino" (2005).
The 52-year-old actor burned a hole in the screen in Body Heat (1981), Diner (1982), and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) with his James-Dean-crossed-with-urban-hipster looks and sullen mannerisms, then embarked on his own long, slow burnout.
In movies of the 1980s, like "Diner," "Angel Heart" and "The Pope of Greenwich Village," his whispery charisma made him one of the most fascinating young actors in film.
Rourke, meanwhile, made such films as Diner, Rumble Fish, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Barfly in the '80s.
Wearing dyed blond tresses, his hulking frame crosshatched with tattoos and scars, his swollen mug virtually unrecognizable from the slick young hustler he played 25 years ago in The Pope of Greenwich Village, Rourke works his way into the soul of "The Ram" as if he has known this character his entire life.