Russell Crowe plays the real-life exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth in “The Pope’s Exorcist,” a film that wants to be a tense thriller and keeps getting lost in its own lore. Crowe is the only reason this movie works at all.
Trailer, via Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Crowe’s Performance
Crowe brings a grounded, earthy energy to Amorth, a man who rides a scooter, tells jokes and carries out exorcisms with a Saint Benedict Medal sacramental. His performance is the film’s anchor. He sells the character’s mix of humor and dedication without tipping over into caricature.
The film is based on the 1990 book “An Exorcist Tells His Story” and the 1992 book “An Exorcist: More Stories” by Father Gabriele Amorth. It draws directly from Amorth’s own files, which gives the story a sense of grounded detail that some horror films lack. The film opens in 1987, when Amorth visits an Italian village where a teenage boy named Enzo is seemingly possessed by a demon. That early sequence, with Amorth taunting the demon, sets the tone for the film’s practical, no-nonsense approach.
The Plot’s Weakness
The film’s central mystery — a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden — is underdeveloped. The plot follows Julia Vasquez, her son Henry and his sister Amy as they travel from the United States to a Spanish abbey that was the family’s legacy after the father’s death in a car accident. Henry, who has not spoken since the accident, begins acting strangely and demanding a priest. Father Esquibel arrives, but Henry mocks him and taunts him with memories of World War II. Amorth, assigned by the Pope, visits the abbey and finds a sinister fire that injures the workers restoring it. Medical tests reveal nothing physically wrong with Henry, who appears to be possessed.
The film’s script, by Evan Spiliotopoulos and Michael Petroni, spends too much time on setup and too little on payoff. The conspiracy Amorth uncovers is barely explained, and the film ends without resolving the questions it raises. The ending leaves the audience with more confusion than awe, which is a problem for a film that promises a hidden truth.
Crowe Carries It
Crowe’s performance keeps “The Pope’s Exorcist” from collapsing entirely. He plays Amorth as a man of faith who refuses to be intimidated by skepticism, whether it comes from a Church tribunal headed by Cardinal Sullivan or from the demon itself. When Sullivan doubts the existence of the Devil, Amorth replies that evil does exist but that he did not perform an actual exorcism on Enzo — he simply used psychological theatrics to help a mentally ill man. Crowe makes that distinction land without making Amorth feel like a fraud.
The supporting cast is competent. Daniel Zovatto is fine as Father Esquibel, a local priest who makes mistakes as an assistant exorcist, including attempting to strangle Henry when he antagonizes him. Alex Essoe plays Julia Vasquez with a quiet strength, and Laurel Marsden is effective as Amy, but neither gets much room to develop. Franco Nero plays the Pope, and Peter DeSouza-Feighoney plays Henry.
The Fire And The Fire
The film’s best moments come from its practical approach. The sequence where Amorth taunts the demon and kills a possessed pig with a shotgun carries genuine menace, even if the film leans into violence rather than atmosphere. The abbey scenes, with workers injured by a sinister fire, have a physicality that the film’s weaker moments lack. These scenes prove that “The Pope’s Exorcist” can be scary when it commits to its material, even if it cannot sustain that commitment.
The film’s worst moments come from its need to explain everything. The conspiracy Amorth uncovers is described in vague terms, and the film spends too much time on the tribunal’s skepticism rather than on the demon itself. The result is a film that feels more like a history lesson about exorcism than a pulse-pounding thriller.
Where It Stands
“The Pope’s Exorcist” has a strong lead performance, a decent premise and a weak script. Crowe is worth watching alone, and the film’s practical approach to horror has moments that work. But the film’s failure to resolve its central mystery and its overreliance on violence over atmosphere hold it back. It is a film that starts with a strong idea and ends with a shrug.
The film was released in several countries on April 5, 2023, and in the United States on April 14. It grossed $77 million worldwide, which is modest for a horror film of its scale. The film’s mixed reviews from critics suggest that audiences were not entirely convinced by the script, not by Crowe’s performance. With a runtime of 103 minutes, it is a short film that does not stay too long, which is a small mercy.
The Verdict
“The Pope’s Exorcist” is a film that is more interesting than it is scary, more promising than it is resolved. Crowe’s performance elevates it, but the script, and the conspiracy it hides, are too weak to support the film’s ambitions. It is a film that should have been tighter, scarier and more committed to its own ideas.
It is a film that fans of Crowe will want to see for his performance alone, but they should not expect much else.
Key Facts Box
- Title: The Pope’s Exorcist (2023)
- Director: Julius Avery
- Writers: Evan Spiliotopoulos, Michael Petroni
- Runtime: 103 minutes
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- Release: April 5, 2023 (international), April 14, 2023 (United States)
- Gross: $77 million worldwide
- Score: 4 of 10
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