Charlie (Mickey Rourke) is a restaurant manager and small-time hustler aspiring for more. Paulie (Eric Roberts) is his desperate, hotheaded cousin who thinks he may have just found it: the easiest money they’ll ever make, and it’s just sitting there! But the heist goes sour and attracts the ire of local mobsters. These two goombahs are taking huge risks, and their Little Italy lives start to feel a whole lot bigger. An irreverent coming-of-age tale and urban jungle crime story, The Pope of Greenwich Village captures the sensory experience of New York City, from the cut of a nice suit to wailing police sirens to the feeling of fifty thousand dollars right in your hand.
“This movie is an actor’s dream” – Roger Ebert
“The Pope Of Greenwich Village benefits immensely from Rosenberg’s decision to film on location in Little Italy, which gives every scene a lived-in feel. As photographed by John Bailey—at the time, the go-to cinematographer for Paul Schrader (American Gigolo, Cat People, Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters, Light Of Day)—the city’s streets, restaurants, back rooms, and lofts are as much a character as Charlie and Paulie, a dreamer and a schemer trying to get ahead in a world where the chips are stacked against them.” – Craig J. Clark, The Dissolve
