The Pope Of Greenwich Village (1984)

A maitre d' (Mickey Rourke) with aspirations of opening up his own restaurant is saddled with a cousin (Eric Roberts) always looking for the easy way to make money which mostly means criminal activity. The cousin assures him that a plan to rob a safe is fool proof but, of course, it's not and things go horribly wrong. Based on the novel by Vincent Patrick, who adapted his book for the screen, and directed by Stuart Rosenberg (COOL HAND LUKE). If you can accept that the film's two main characters are scumbags and try not to be too judgmental about it, you can find the movie entertaining. Which doesn't mean it's a good movie because it's not. The film feels fake and doesn't have the authenticity that a Scorsese would have brought to the project and the film brings up more questions than it has answers. Like what does Daryl Hannah who could do better see in Rourke's low life or is Roberts' character high on something or just mentally defective etc. Roberts overacts shamefully but in a film like this, that's not necessarily a bad thing. He gives the film some much needed juice and so does Geraldine Page, who in only two scenes punches a hole in the screen. With Burt Young, Tony Musante, Kenneth McMillan, M. Emmet Walsh and Philip Bosco.