Ever since the first time I watched Gladiator (what feels like a million years ago), I’ve been drawn to movies featuring Russell Crowe. For my money, the man just doesn’t miss. Sure, some of the films he’s been in haven’t always been at the highest levels of cinema but he himself has never turned in a bad performance. So when I found out that he would be playing an exorcist I was instantly intrigued as a fan of his work as well as a fan of horror in general. This seemed like a sure thing and there was no way I was going to miss it. What I didn’t know going in was how much fun I was going to have watching Crowe smart-mouth a few demons, a pleasant surprise.
The story begins by letting us all know that this is based on the real life of Father Gabriele Amorth (Crowe) before giving us a tiny glimpse of what it is that he does. He arrives to help a possessed child and has a humorous back and forth with the demon inside, this would be a theme going forward. Crowe‘s Father Amorth liked his whiskey and his jokes and really made the character feel like the whole person he was based on. After he belittles the demon and demands that it show how truly powerful it is by instead possessing a pig, they kill the pig. The demon should have known better. Father Amorth was funny and charming and smart and definitely thought outside the box.
We’re then trust into the lives of the family we would be spending our time with; Julia and her two children Amy and Henry (played by Alex Essoe, Laurel Marsden, and Peter DeSouza-Feighoney respectively). They’re on their way (against the wishes of the children) to complete restoration on an old abbey in Spain, the only thing their recently deceased father and husband left them. The daughter Amy is a bit of a rebel who’s busy being a teen and Henry hasn’t spoken in a year, completely traumatized by witnessing the death of their father. While exploring the basement Henry stumbles upon an opening in a wall and comes down with a case of the demons.
New Dog, Old Tricks
The film was written by Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos based on the memoirs of Father Amorth, An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories, directed wonderfully by Julius Avery. There aren’t a lot of new things to see here if you’ve watched any number of exorcism-based horror films but it does take the old classics and give them a terrifying new spin. The changing of Henry’s pupils was quite striking and a little unnerving and what would a movie about possession be without someone vomiting something gross, in this case, an entire bloody bird, right before our eyes. Of course, we got the demon letting anyone in earshot know that, “you’re all going to die,” because demons are so sure of themselves.
One thing that really stood out to me in this film (to the surprise of no one) was the music that was put together. The children, Amy and Henry, were often listening to their headphones and I have to say, both of them had amazing taste in their song choices. The way the songs were layered in at just the right time to give the scenes that extra little punch was fun to see, they were all very deliberate choices and fit perfectly. The score was also on point and really sold the tension, all of it helped and never detracted or distracted from what we were seeing. The music was just as important to the story as the words the characters were speaking.
This movie took the horror seriously but what Crowe was able to do with humor to break up the constant barrage of supernatural frights was something I didn’t expect but it came so naturally that it felt like it belonged. He again was able to take on a character archetype that we’ve all seen on screen many times and make it something fresh and unexpected. It was clear, just from watching the events unfold, that he was having the time of his life in the middle of a heightened horror experience. As I said, the man doesn’t miss.
It Takes Two To Tango
Like any worthwhile exorcist flick we of course needed our second priest and that’s where Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto) came in. He did a fantastic job playing off of what Crowe was putting out there. If Father Amorth was a little over the top, Father Esquibel came in a little bit under, balancing out the equation nicely. The two could do several of these movies (they just might judging by the ending) and I would be there just to watch their chemistry which was fantastic.
After a few heart-to-hearts and absolving each other of their many sins, it was of course time to get to work. It was trial and error at first, the two priests really needed to know the demon’s name in order to perform a successful exorcism which lead to them exposing a coverup from the Vatican that went all the was back to the Spanish Inquisition. It was unexpected and I know what you’re thinking, “no one expects the Spanish Inquisition,” it turns out that was one of the most important lines ever spoken in film history. All of this led to the two of them getting the information that they needed to save Henry and a final battle that was visually stunning and tense.
If you think that you know what you’re in for with The Pope’s Exorcist you’re more than likely right as far as the story goes; the possession, the struggle, and the victory but the journey of this film was far more fun, and entertaining than any exorcist movie I’ve seen in the past. If you’re a fan of horror or Russell Crowe, or better still a fan of both, this movie is a must-see. It isn’t at all what I expected going in and it’s worth repeating one last time, the man just doesn’t miss.
The Pope’s Exorcist was released in theaters on April 14, 2023!
Watch The Pope’s Exorcist
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