The Pope's Exorcist [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Julius Avery Julius Avery

Overview

Based on true events and personal memoirs, Julius Avery's supernatural thriller portrays the life of Father Gabriele Amorth. Based in the Vatican, Amorth served as chief exorcist for decades. The Italian priest performed more than 100,000 exorcisms until he passed away at the age of 91 in 2016. His experience helped countless people struggling to resist the grip of Satan. Starring Russell Crowe, Franco Nero, and Ralph Ineson.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/13/2023
UPC:	0043396631083
Original Release:	2023
Rating:	R
Source:	Sony Pictures
Language:	English
Sales rank:	696,646

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Russell Crowe	Father Gabriel Amorth
Daniel Zovatto	Father Esquibel
Franco Nero	The Pope
Alex Essoe	Julia
Paloma Bloyd	Actor
Peter DeSouza-Feighoney	Henry
Cornell John	Bishop Lumumba
Laurel Marsden	Amy
Ryan O'Grady	Cardinal Sullivan
Bianca Bardoe	Rosaria
Santi Bayón	Roberto Vasquez IV (Henry's Dad)
Alessandro Gruttadauria	Father Gianni
Jordi Collet	Carlos
River Hawkins	Enzo/Halphas
Carrie Munro	Adella
Marc Velasco	Worker 1
Edward Harper-Jones	Young Amorth
Matthew Sim	Cardinal Abato
Victor Solé	Spanish Doctor
Tom Bonington	Vatican Doctor
Andrea Dugoni	Drunken Farmer
Ed White	Nazi Soldier
Laila Barwick	Daughter
Gennaro Diana	Italian Priest(as Geno Diana)
Pablo Raybould	Bishop Barbuto
Ella Cannon	Partisan #2
Derek Carroll	Doctor
Ralph Ineson	Asmodeus

Technical Credits

Evan Spiliotopoulos

R. Dean McCreary

Chester Hastings

Julius Avery	Director
Jeff Katz	Producer
Evan Spiliotopoulos	Screenwriter
R. Dean McCreary	Screenwriter
Chester Hastings	Screenwriter
Doug Belgrad	Producer
Jo Homewood	Executive Producer
Sophie Cassidy	Executive Producer
Eddie Siebert	Executive Producer
Michael Patrick Kaczmarek	Producer

Editorial Reviews

The Pope's Exorcist is directed by Julius Avery and is based on the true story of Father Gabriele Amorth, who was the Vatican's leading exorcist. Father Amorth's research and work in the field of exorcism and demonology is world-renowned. The movie stars Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Daniel Zovatto (It Follows), Alex Essoe (Doctor Sleep), Franco Nero (Django Unchained), Laurel Marsden (Survive), and Peter DeSouza-Feighoney. In the late 80's Father Amorth (Crowe) is considered one of the Vatican's leading exorcists. When modern viewpoints clash with traditional religious views, Amorth finds the title of exorcist in peril. It is then that he is given the case of a possessed young boy named Henry (DeSouza-Feighoney). But this is no ordinary possession. Henry, his family, Amorth, and assisting Father Esquibel (Zovatto) are all put to the test as they fight a demon unknown to them but who knows them all too well. The trailer for The Pope's Exorcist reveals a dark and gritty film, on par with most possession or exorcism movies. However, after the opening scene, some viewers may be surprised to see that the entire film isn't as gritty as they might expect. Bright 80's tracks ring through the theater speakers, and it is hard not to smile at the image of Father Amorth in his black cassock, riding around on his red and white moped. While the juxtaposition of comedy and horror can work well together, the humor in this film is subdued and is solely placed on the character of Amorth. Because of that, the tone of the first third of the movie feels unbalanced. It isn't until Amorth arrives in Spain that the story begins to pick up and the film comes to life. Crowe's portrayal of Amorth is multi-faceted: haunted but jolly, a serious exorcist with a sense of humor. Crowe's excellent performance shows a character who knows what he is doing and has seen-possibly too many-things in his life. As Amorth, Crowe is as charismatic and charming as he is sarcastic and impulsive. Fans of the genre may enjoy Amorth's unique personality as most exorcists depicted in movies are just serious and moody. All of the characters in The Pope's Exorcist have their own set of "inner demons" which they must battle as they fight an actual demon. However, some of the characters lack depth and the storyline itself feels a little cliché. Despite this, the last half of the movie is quite thrilling and engaging. The visuals in the film are passable. The location and the abbey are equal parts beautiful and creepy. It is an interesting and effective idea to use lighting to contrast the brightness and naivety of the Italian setting with the dark and morose setting of the sinister abbey. While the makeup and CG used to depict possession in Henry (and the other possessed victims depicted in the story) is done well, there is little to set them apart from other possession stories. Horror fans might not find The Pope's Exorcist to be overly scary, but there are many scenes which are both gripping and immersive. The ending leaves the movie open to either a sequel or a series, but that may be pushing it as it is enjoyable as a standalone. Just as the characters realized in the film, sometimes it is best to leave well enough alone.