The Pope's Exorcist
Breaking news can be fun. I think my favorite memory while doing a newscast has been either our coverage of the Toledo Water Crisis or Hurricane Ian from when I lived in Tampa. There's something about going into a show and barely even using a rundown and doing the whole thing by just telling everyone involved where you're going next. Those are the days where it really feels like you're making a difference. Plus, seeing the sheer amount of water from a hurricane, while devastating and heartbreaking, is also very cool. Anyways, let's discuss...
The Pope's Exorcist (2023)
I had been familiar with the story of Father Gabriele Amorth and was curious about his books, but never got around to reading them. Summed up, he was the official exorcist of the Vatican for many years. Basically, if there was something that needed checking out, Father Gabriele would go in, scope out the situation, and decide if an exorcism was needed. This movie makes a point of Father Gabriele pointing out that in the vast majority of these cases, there's nothing supernatural about it, just someone going through a very severe medical or psychological condition.
We start with Father Gabriele, played gamefully by Russel Crowe. He rides up to a village where a family believes their son is possessed. Father Gabriele speaks with the man, who claims to be the devil, but Father Gabriele quickly deduces that he's not really possessed. Instead, he tricks "the demon" into possessing a piggy, and then the animal is very quickly shot, killing and destroying "the demon" and releasing the man in the process. You learn quickly that Father Gabriele knows what he's doing and is very competent at his job.
From there, he faces an inquiry in Rome from a council of higher-ups, including one, an American, that you're immediately supposed to hate. Making him a butthole makes the verbal sparring between him and Father Gabriele much more satisfying. Because at the end, it leaves the Cardinal exasperated and defeated as a confident Father Gabriele walks out in the middle of the proceedings, giving him the ol' "Take it up with my boss," pointing out that his direct superior is the head of the Catholic Church.
After meeting with the Pope, Father Gabriele is sent to Spain, where an American child is believed to be possessed at an old Spanish abbey that his family is trying to flip because they've fallen on hard financial times in the States. Before the two stories connect, the movie ping-pongs between Father Gabriele and the family, and we're given clues that there's more to this beautiful old building than meets the eye. This is confirmed when the Pope tells Father Gabriele it has given the Church problems in the past. Now, with a child being taken over by a very powerful demon, the Pontiff sends out his top man to check it out.
The first thing that stood out to me was Russel Crowe. Now I know that's a cop-out, because he'll be a standout in literally everything he's in, but the way he plays the priest is a lot different than any other holy man in a movie involving an exorcism. In most possession movies, the priest/rabbi/well meaning dad is very serious and really shows the gravity of the situation. The thing I loved about Crowe's Father Gabriele was that he had a sense of humor and he seemed to really love his job. It wasn't a terrifying obligation; it was his job, and he was is very good at it. He even drops advice to the local priest, Father Tomas, that the devil hates jokes, so keep the sense of humor. It theologically makes sense, but I don't want to explain it because it's more fun to say the devil is a sourpuss. It even plays out when the devil is shown to be annoyed that Father Gabriele jokingly responds that his worst nightmare is France winning the World Cup, telling him that he "can't hide behind his jokes forever."
Now, when I mention jokes, I'm not saying the dialogue reads like a Marvel movie where everyone keeps dropping quips in the middle of a fight scene. No, Father Gabriele understands the gravity of the situation and reacts accordingly; he's just a man who uses humor because the devil hates it, and it helps him stay calm in stressful situations.
Here's the thing about this movie: I'm Catholic, so for me, when it comes to scariness, these movies are already on easy mode. But this one didn't really get to me. I had similar feelings about The Rite with Anthony Hopkins, which was made by the same screenwriter. It did have scary moments, mostly in the way the kid's eyes would look when he was possessed or when the demon would take back control. I think part of the reason it didn't get under my skin was that I didn't find the demon's voice scary. It's not bad, but it did not have the menace that Pazuzu had in The Exorcist, and the kid possessed didn't have the terrifying acting ability of Jennifer Carpenter from The Exorcism of Emily Rose. But still, he manages to hold his own, and it does have its moments. What it lacks in scares, it makes up for it by just being a very entertaining movie.
The film dives more into the lore than most exorcism movies I've seen. It explores the history of the abbey, why it's so messed up and jumps into a centuries-old conspiracy involving the Church, the Inquisition and the very first exorcist. This was the weakest part of the movie, but Russel Crowe gives it his all, and he manages to make it compelling.
Speaking of Crowe, his presence and ability elevate the movie. The side characters are OK; the mother is sympathetic, but her son doesn't get much to do before he's possessed and the daughter is an angsty teen dialed up to 100. I did like the priest who was helping him, Father Tomas. Both Gabriele and Tomas are carrying around guilt over something in the past, and Tomas is particularly human as he gives in to the demon's taunts and, at one point, strangling the boy out of anger before coming to his senses. I enjoyed their dynamic because, while being resolute in their faith, they were flawed characters and believable. The end sets the pair up on a mission to go globetrotting, tracking down the 199 demons that were originally cast out after Michael defeated Lucifer, and you know what? Sign me up! A sequel has already been greenlit, and I will 100% be seeing them. A road trip movie about a pair of exorcists fighting the fallen angels?! Hell yeah!
From what I've read online, the movie got some grief from some Catholic groups because it takes a lot more fantastical approach to the exorcisms than how Father Gabriele wrote about in his books, An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories, but if the movie increases the awareness of the fascinating priest and his encounters, I'd say it was worth it to Hollywood it up a bit. But I do know what the next book I'm going to be reading is!
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