Rourke & Roberts pre-fame.

Charlie Moran (Rourke) seemed more like an Irish hood instead of an Italian. Rourke basically set a trend on the type of characters he plays. He's basically re-did this role again and again. And why not? He's great at it.

Eric Roberts is a chronic over actor. But unlike most, he can be so entertaining. Watching him chew the scenery here was the most fun. The whole "He should die, die, die...." scene after they get fired in the beginning is still a corker.

Daryl Hannah is not the best actress, but she seemed to thrive here as Charlie's straight girlfriend.

And kudos to Walsh, Young, McMillan (R.I.P),and the brilliant Geraldine Page (also R.I.P) for their roles. Page almost stole the film.

And I think Bedbug Eddie (Young) was based on the late NYC mafia leader Fat Tony Salerno. He also conducted most of his business in a no frills back room. He also didn't drink.

Good character study.

Mickey Rourke is "The Pope of Greenwich Village" in this 1984 film also starring Eric Roberts, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan, Darryl Hannah and Burt Young. Rourke is Charlie, who, with his cousin Paulie, rob a mobster with the help of a safecracker (McMillan). Both Rourke and Roberts are in fine form against the New York background. Everything about this film is seedy. The detectives all look out of shape and overtired, everybody has smoker's skin or a drinker's red nose. As Charlie, Rourke wants a big score so he can buy a restaurant, but his fatal flaw is listening to his idiotic cousin Paulie, a total loser and a weakling, who gets him involved in the robbery of a vicious mobster where a cop is killed at the scene. The attractive Rourke uses his sweet smile to good advantage and underplays; it's a shame he underwent such severe plastic surgery and took his career off track. Roberts plays Paulie as completely pathetic, so pathetic that at times, he's funny, even when his circumstances aren't.

The mob movies were in their heyday when "The Pope of Greenwich Village" was made, so it probably got lost in the shuffle. It's not a big film, but the acting and locations are impressive. Look for Geraldine Page in a small but showy role as the dead cop's mother, a woman who can handle the police better than anyone.

Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts are well matched in this nicely directed, acted, and written character study / drama. The characters they create are definitely memorable and the situations in which they find themselves are compelling. Scripted by Vincent Patrick from his own novel, it's simply fine storytelling that keeps its grip for two solid hours.

Rourke plays Charlie, a regular Joe whose loyalty to his screw-up cousin Paulie (Roberts) gets him into all sorts of trouble. Paulies' schemes get Charlie fired from his job, and when Paulie draws Charlie into a plan to steal some money, he doesn't tell him from whom they're stealing. And that man is Bed Bug Eddie (Burt Young),a mafia boss who is understandably going to be more than a little angry.

There are all sorts of interesting characters in this involving, heavily layered story, and the film has a hell of a phenomenal cast as well, full of incredibly good character actors. Among the many familiar faces are Kenneth McMillan (endearing as the third participant in the robbery),Tony Musante, M. Emmet Walsh, Jack Kehoe, Philip Bosco, Val Avery, Joe Grifasi, Tony DiBenedetto, John Finn, Ed O'Ross, Frank Vincent, Anna Levine, and William Duell. They're all entertaining to watch, but Geraldine Page is especially riveting as the mother of a corrupt detective. Her scenes are the best in the film.

Roberts - who totally rocks a perm hairdo - really goes all out sometimes in his performance; one can't accuse this guy of phoning it in. Rourke, overall more restrained, is quite likable; Daryl Hannah isn't bad as Rourkes' frustrated girlfriend.

Director Stuart Rosenberg ("Cool Hand Luke") has a great feel for the neighbourhood in his handling of the material. And Patrick injects some amusing comedy bits - such as Paulies' revenge against a portly parking patrol officer - into the story that provide some counterpoint to the drama. The denouement really is too abrupt, but on the whole this is a really enjoyable tale worth catching for fans of the performers and genre.

Eight out of 10.