The Pope's Exorcist movie review (2023) | Roger Ebert (2024)

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The Pope's Exorcist movie review (2023) | Roger Ebert (1)

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In his original 1973 review of "The Exorcist," Roger Ebert wrote about how right it was to cast the role of the older priest battling evilwith the great characteractorMax von Sydow:"He has been through so many religious and metaphysical crises in Ingmar Bergman’s filmsthat he almost seems to belong on a theological battlefield the wayJohn Waynebelonged on a horse."

"The Pope's Exorcist" combines those two images by casting Russell Crowe in the lead role ofFather Gabriele Amorth,a theologian, journalist, bookauthor, and thepope's designated exorcist. Amorth is a sly, tough, wisecracking priest who approaches each new missionlike a gunslinger. Instead of pistols, rifles, and hunting knives, he has an exorcism kit with crucifixes and holy waterthat he carries around in a case the size of asaddlebag.His horse is a red-and-white scooter that's too-small for Crowe's let-it-all-hang-out character-actor body but makes a perfect, wonderful sight gag for that reason. Amorth even has a tiny whiskey flask that he insists that he carries to ease hisscratchy throat.He'swritten and performed like one of those wry, hard-bitten bad-asses that used to be played in 1960s Westerns by aging butstill-popular action starslikeBurt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and (yes) John Wayne. Their characters pointed outthe hypocrisies of so-called civilization but defended itanyway.They'd seen it all, but could still be shocked.

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Directed by Julius Avery ("Overlord")—and very, very, veryloosely inspired by a real priest whose story was told in a documentary by "Exorcist" directorWilliam Friedkin—the filmfollows Amorth to a decrepitabbey in rural Spain to drive a demon from the body of a young boy. It has beenmarketed as a horror film, but it's more busy and impatientthan creepy andscary, especially when it's cross-cutting between parallel lines of action happening in the abbey and back at the Vatican (where Franco Nero plays the pope,who knows there's more going on than a garden-variety possession). It's ultimately a theological action flickwith overtones of an old-fashionedWestern about an aging gunslinger who teams upwith an earnest but untested younger partner (Daniel Zovatto's Father Esquibel) to savewomen and children from a monstrous enemy.

Alex Essoe costars as Julia, a widowed mother of two whose husband died in a car accident two years earlier, leaving her the aforementioned abbey, which she hopes to refurbish to sell and pay off family debts. Julia has ateenaged daughter named Amy (LaurelMarsden)who is rebellious in a way that would've been called "loose" at one time, and a 12-year-old son named Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney)who ends up a host forsupernatural evil, which manifests itself in pretty much the same way it has since Friedkin adapted WilliamPeter Blatty's source novel: profanity, blasphemy, open sores, vomit, biting, levitation, bodies twisting in anatomically impossible ways. etc.

The opening sequence is the most original thing in the film: Amorth handles what amounts to an appetizer exorcism by trash-talking evil, inflaming its arrogance to trick it into defeating itself. The scene is just engaging enough to getour hopes up that we'vebeen introduced to a rare originalcharacter with endless franchise potential: thinkJames Bond in a turned-around collar, or a theological cousin ofDetective Columbo, whose odd mannerisms anddisheveled appearance make suspects underestimate him.There's even a postscript that makes it seem as if Amorth is joining anexorcist version of the Avengers Initiative. The producers blew an easy opportunity for applause by not ending the film with a printed title card promising "FATHER AMORTH WILL RETURN."

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Unfortunately, “The Pope’s Exorcist”is a watchablebut far-from-specialrehash of exorcism movie cliches, with detours into a Vatican conspiracy plot that has been compared to Dan Brown's novels but half-assedly connects withchurch atrocities and scandals. The punchline is so convoluted and ridiculous that it seems toletthe Church off the hook for the Inquisition and the pedophilia cover-up by saying, in essence,"The devil made them do it."

Crowe makes the movie worth seeing. He plays Amorth as a pridefulcut-up, greeting viletaunts with a deadpan smirk and snappy answers. When the demon growls that he's Amorth's worst nightmare, Amorth replies, "My worst nightmare is France winning the World Cup." Crowe plays the character's dry, needling wit just right. He's even more appealing whenhe lets the audience seeinsecurities that the priestkeeps hidden. When Father Esquibel tells Amorth that he's read his articles about possession in magazines, Amorth mentions that he writes books, too, then softly adds, "The books are good."When Avery cuts to traveling shots of Amorth puttering on highways and country roads on his scooter, the frock, collar, fedora, and sunglasses make the character iconic: coolly ridiculous, ridiculously cool.

One can imagine rewatching bits and piecesof the movie justto savor Crowe's performance and his co-stars' awed responses toit. Crowe has been so good for so long that he glides through this role as if he has nothing to prove (even though the characterdoes). He goofs around and adds surprising littlegestures and reactionsto enliven a scene. But henever goes so far that he seems to be making fun of the movie.When Amorth discloses his own spiritual torment in a series of flashbacks, Crowe plays it straight, suffering and writhing as if he's imagining that he's in an Ingmar Bergman movie. He seems to be at roughly the same career point that PaulNewman arrived at in the early 1970s when his hair went silver and he lost most of his vanity. He's not suffering for his art anymore. Even when a scene is serious, he's having fun.

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Film Credits

The Pope's Exorcist movie review (2023) | Roger Ebert (9)

The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

Rated Rfor violent content, language, sexual references and some nudity.

104 minutes

Cast

Russell Croweas Father Gabriele Amorth

Daniel Zovattoas Father Esquibel

Alex Essoeas Julia

Franco Neroas The Pope

Laurel Marsdenas Amy

Cornell Johnas Bishop Lumumba

Ralph Inesonas Demon (voice)

Director

  • Julius Avery

Writer (based on the books 'An Exorcist Tells His Story' and 'An Exorcist: More Stories' by)

  • Gabriele Amorth

Writer (screen story by)

  • R. Dean McCreary
  • Chester Hastings
  • Jeff Katz

Writer

  • Michael Petroni
  • Evan Spiliotopoulos

Cinematographer

  • Khalid Mohtaseb

Editor

  • Matt Evans

Composer

  • Jed Kurzel

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The Pope's Exorcist movie review (2023) | Roger Ebert (2024)

FAQs

The Pope's Exorcist movie review (2023) | Roger Ebert? ›

It has been marketed as a horror film, but it's more busy and impatient than creepy and scary, especially when it's cross-cutting between parallel lines of action happening in the abbey and back at the Vatican (where Franco Nero plays the pope, who knows there's more going on than a garden-variety possession).

Is The Pope's exorcist a good movie? ›

The Pope's Exorcist is standard-issue holy horror in most respects, but its star's sanctified performance will be the answer to some viewers' prayers. The Pope's Exorcist may not be a classic, but it's still a solid possession thriller -- and Russell Crowe does a fantastic job in the leading role.

Is The Exorcist 2023 worth watching? ›

The Exorcist: Believer earns points for trying to take the franchise back to its terrifying roots, but a lack of new ideas -- and scares -- make this an inauspicious start to a planned new trilogy.

Is The New exorcist movie any good? ›

The writing is terrible, leaving the story merely okay, but its blatant lack of connection to the iconic Exorcist makes it feel like a missed opportunity. The movie is not suspenseful, it's not scary, it's not shocking, it's nothing that the original Exorcist is and doesn't even come close.

What is the rotten tomato rating for The Pope's exorcist? ›

Tomatometer and Audience Scores will often have minor variations, but these Russell Crowe movies differ by significant percentages. The Pope's Exorcist has a 49% Tomatometer and an 81% Audience Score.

What did the Catholic Church think of the movie The Exorcist? ›

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of Film and Broadcasting (USCCB-OFB) officially and publicly condemned the film as being unsuitable for a wide audience, but reviews produced for the office by priests and lay Catholics and correspondence between the Vatican and the USCCB-OFB show that the church ...

What does the Catholic Church say about the movie The Pope's exorcist? ›

The letter goes on to state that the movie takes excessive liberties in adapting Father Amorth's memoirs and that Russell Crowe's appearance and demeanor do not match the human and priestly characteristics of Father Amorth.

Why The Exorcist is the scariest movie ever? ›

The Exorcist, by contrast, held nothing back. Employing expert craftsmanship and groundbreaking special effects, director William Friedkin chronicled young Regan MacNeil's terrifying transformation from an angel-faced tween into a projectile-vomiting, foul-mouthed monster in unflinching, explicit detail.

Why is The Exorcist rated so high? ›

Extreme violence, gore, and psychological torture. Parents need to know that The Exorcist is a terrifying 1970s horror film about a young girl who becomes demonically possessed and violent. Expect extreme gore, grotesque effects (bulging eyes, sores, etc.), and scares, and two important characters die.

Which Exorcist movie is better? ›

In a surprise to no one, 1973's "The Exorcist" is still the best of the franchise according to critics. Yes, "The Exorcist" is still the best of the franchise according to critics. It hinges on Linda Blair's brutal performance as Regan MacNeil, who is terrifying as the possessed young girl.

Why was The Exorcist movie controversial? ›

Adding to the BBFC's difficulties were the reports of incidents of hysteria involving young women, which had led to concerns that the film might cause severe emotional problems, particularly among those who believed in the reality of demonic possession.

What is the scariest part of The Exorcist movie? ›

Some of the most terrifying scenes include Regan's head spinning around, her throwing up on Father Karras, and killing Priest Merrin.

What are PEOPLE saying about the new Exorcist? ›

"I would've never hired him to do 'Exorcist. ' I would've gone with someone fresh, someone completely different, to get a new take on this." "This film's doing OK, but it certainly isn't going to legitimize this horror franchise in terms of making it one of the iconic horror franchises of all time.

How scary is Pope's exorcist? ›

It has some violence and lanaguage in a not so terrfying exorcist movie! You could say this is another exorcist movie . . . but this one is actually interesting, if not losing it by the 3rd act! For the most part, this movie has no outright terrfying scares that's going to be a lasting impression.

Where was the Pope's exorcist filmed? ›

Principal photography took place from August to October 2022 in Dublin and Limerick, Ireland and Rome, Italy. Scenes were also filmed with Crowe in Trinity College in Dublin.

Are they making the Pope's exorcist 2? ›

The Pope's Exorcist 2 is officially confirmed and in development, thanks to the success of the first film both in theaters and on Netflix. While there are few details on the sequel yet, it's likely to feature Russell Crowe returning as Father Gabriele and potentially expand the role of Bishop Lumumba.

Is The Pope's exorcist very scary? ›

It has some violence and lanaguage in a not so terrfying exorcist movie! You could say this is another exorcist movie . . . but this one is actually interesting, if not losing it by the 3rd act! For the most part, this movie has no outright terrfying scares that's going to be a lasting impression.

Is The Exorcist series worth watching? ›

Parents need to know that The Exorcist is a horror drama series, aimed at a mature audience familiar with the 1973 movie of the same name. Like the film, the series doesn't lean heavily on gore or jump scares to unsettle viewers. Instead, it's the demonic possession of human victims -- mostly children…

Is The Pope's exorcist funny? ›

As comedies go it's a romp but it's not the least scary really, not unless you're 7 years old and watching it maybe. It's almost Disney meets Father Amorth level silly if you ask me but it's worth a watch so long as you don't expect anything like a serious take on Amorth and his actual work.

Which exorcist movie is better? ›

In a surprise to no one, 1973's "The Exorcist" is still the best of the franchise according to critics. Yes, "The Exorcist" is still the best of the franchise according to critics. It hinges on Linda Blair's brutal performance as Regan MacNeil, who is terrifying as the possessed young girl.

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