THE POPE'S EXORCIST (2023)

No, not the new Russell Crowe exorcist film.  That’s THE EXORCISM/’24 (not seen here), apparently all about making a film much like William Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST/’73.  This is last year’s Russell Crowe exorcist film, a relatively standard issue possession pic nominally based on a real guy, Father Gabriele Amorth, top Vatican exorcist for decades, till his death in 2006.  The usual Catholic hocus-pocus scenario, two possessions worth: an appetizer to save a bed-trussed lad with severe red-eye syndrome then the main course over in Spain where a typical American family (sans dead dad) has inherited an unusual fixer-upper, a decayed family manse that once housed an accursed Abbey.  What could possibly go wrong? Naturally, it’s haunted by the Devil centuries after a failed exorcism from back in Inquisition days.  A devil of a job even for Crowe’s Father Amorth with branches of this possession reverberating all the way to the Pope (Franco Nero!) in Vatican City.  Crowe claims he prepared by studying the real Father Amorth, but by the look of things, he spent more time watching old Raf Vallone movies.  And the script, which shamefully deflects blame for the Spanish Inquisition to the Devil (how convenient!), seconded by director Julius Avery, calls for so much acrobatic flying & gymnastic contortion, it’s less The Pope’s Exorcist than Cirque de Soleil Exorcist.  (With sequels promised, a forty year Las Vegas residency awaits!)

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  Look fast for a great unintentionally comic shot in the ultimate battle when the Devil takes the upper hand against Crowe till young assistant priest Daniel Zovatto (quite good BTW) makes an underhand lateral pass of the weaponized Holy Cross.

DOUBLE-BILL:  Lots of EXORCIST product at the moment.  In addition to these Crowe films, Universal spent a mint to acquire the official EXORCIST franchise only to come up short on THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER/’23 (also not seen here), commerically a relative under-performer (even worse critically) that put the entire series at risk.  Oddly, its budget-to-gross ratio (about one to four) right in line with this smaller film.