State of Grace (1990)

State of Grace is directed by Phil Joanou and written by Dennis McIntyre. It stars Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, John Turturo and John C. Reilly. Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Jordan Cronenweth.Terry Noonan (Penn) returns to Hells Kitchen after a number of years away and finds his best pal, Jackie Flannery (Oldman), is a major player in the Irish/American mob being run by his elder brother, Frankie Flannery (Harris). With a love interest rekindled and a secret he dare not reveal, Terry is soon caught in a maelstrom of danger and tested loyalties.It got lost in the slipstream of Goodfellas, but although it's not in the same league as Scorsese's critical darling, State of Grace is a splendid slice of neo-noir gangsterism. The plot is made up of standard genre tropes, divided loyalties, betrayals, kinship, revenge, rivalries, territorial machismo and etc, all of which of course comes laced with spitfire dialogue and sparky violence.The strengths come with the performances of the lead cast members, the visual flourishes via Cronenweth and Joanou and Morricone's classical score. Penn and Oldman are forces of nature, the former a ball of emotional turbulence, the latter a hopped up maniac with killer tendencies. Harris as the daddio main man is a moody and malevolent presence, as is Joe Viterelli as mafia boss man Borelli. Wright seems a little out of place in this material, Turturo isn't used nearly enough, but Reilly scores well with a limited role and Burgess Meredith pops in for a superb cameo.It doesn't have originality on its side, but it's a mightily strong film regardless, with the human drama drawing one in as the tech skills impress across the board. 8/10

State Of Grace is an excellent,powerful and underrated Gangster Film/Crime Drama that combines wonderful,atmospheric direction,a terrific cast,an amazing,gritty script and a outstanding film score. All of those elements make State Of Grace an incredible film that is Gangster/Mob movies at it's best.Set in the Hell's Kitchen,Manhattan section of New York City,State Of Grace tells the story of Terry Noonan(Sean Penn),a guy that returns to Hell's Kitchen after a ten year absence and gets back together with old friend Jackie Flannery(Gary Oldman)and soon gets into the Irish Mob ran by Jackie's brother Frankie Flannery(Ed Harris)while falling for Frankie and Jackie's little sister Kathleen(Robin Wright). Unknown to the Flannery's,Terry is secretly an undercover cop investigating Frankie and his crew and Terry has to deal with violence,loyalty and betrayal.Released in 1990,State Of Grace is a brilliant and powerful Gangster Film that received rave reviews from movie critics but suffered from bad timing having been released right around the same time as Martin Scorsese's excellent Gangster classic Gooodfellas which led to State Of Grace being a failure at the Box Office and being overlooked by audiences. But thanks to Home Video and Cable Television showings State Of Grace has found a second life and audience and is seen as the underrated movie that it is. Right from it's haunting and ominous opening State Of Grace is an intense and dark Crime Drama that gives viewers all of the great elements and trademarks that are often associated with the Gangster movie genre:gangsters,violence and betrayal with a tragic and downbeat style that punches viewers in the face with nonstop grit and brutality. There are themes of family,friendship and loyalty are repeated throughout in State Of Grace but like in other Gangster movies and State Of Grace family,friendship and loyalty can be distorted and thrown out the window and are replaced by violence,death and blood. One of the things that I have always loved about State Of Grace is the tone and style of the characters and the film which is rooted in the genre of Film Noir. The characters and tone of the movie is very grim and realistic mixed with a stylish looked that fits in the world that State Of Grace shows and in most of the scenes and the characters are surrounded by darkness with no happiness or optimistic outcome. The photography by Jordan Cronenworth is beautiful and haunting using colors blue,brown and black adding to the film's tone. SOG also gives us one of the greatest and most realistic films about the Irish Mob ever depicted on screen(the film was inspired by the real life Hell's Kitchen Gang The Westies)because where the Italian Mob is more flashy and stylish with expensive suits,the Irish Mob tend to be more working class and dirty with black leather jackets and less expensive suits while sometimes wearing jeans. The Irish gangsters in SOG don't follow or go by the same rules as their Italian counterparts and in their own way can be just as vicious as the Italian Mob. When you watch SOG you are absorbed into the world of the Irish Mafia and what it's like to be in it. Along with Martin Scorsese's The Departed and The Coen Brothers Miller's Crossing State Of Grace is one of my favorite films about Irish Gangsters. The main characters in State Of Grace is one of the things that drives the film and keeps you glued to the screen whether it's Terry,Frankie,Jackie or Kathleen because with all them there is an emotional conflict that hangs over each one of them dealing with love,tragedy and guilt as well and even though you might not always like them or the things they do but the characters have an interesting quality that makes you want to know more about them. The violence in SOG is shocking and bloody but is necessary because of the story and tragic tone of the movie. The screenplay by Dennis McIntyre is fantastic and memorable,with McIntyre giving the characters incredible dialog and scenes that are gritty that fits with the tough world the movie shows. The ending of State Of Grace is amazing,powerful and in my opinion one of the best endings I have seen in a Gangster film and so great you will never look at the St. Patrick's Day Parade the same way again. An unforgettable ending.The whole cast is terrific. Sean Penn is excellent as Terry Noonan,with Penn bringing emotional depth to the role. Ed Harris is magnificent and intense as Frankie Flannery,an Irish Mob leader and Jackie's older brother. Gary Oldman is brilliant,unforgettable and gives the film's best performance as Jackie Flannery,Terry's best friend and Frankie's hot headed Brother. Robin Wright is wonderful as Kathleen Flannery,Frankie and Jackie's young sister and Terry's love interest. John Turturro(Nick),John C. Reilly(Steve),Burgess Meredith(Finn),R.D Call(Pat Nicholson,Frankie's Lieutenant)and Joe Viterelli(Borelli)give good performances as well.The direction by Phil Joanou is brilliant and stylish,with Joanou constantly moving the camera and bringing a unique visual style to the film and using slow motion and beautiful lighting to great effect. Amazing direction,Joanou.The score by Ennio Morricone is outstanding,powerful,intense and matches the dark and somber tone of the film. A great score by Morricone.In final word,if you love Gangster Films,Mob Movies or Crime Dramas,I highly suggest you see State Of Grace,an excellent,underrated and powerful Gangster Film/Crime Drama that is the Gangster films and Crime Dramas at their best. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

This movie somehow escaped me until 2012, but after seeing it now for the first time I am surprised it is not mentioned in the same breadth as so many of the other gangster/NYC classics. Hard hitting, jarring, raw and real...Gary Oldman delivers a performance with remarkable energy and emotion. The range from this performance to what he has recently done with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, has cemented in my mind that he is one of our generations best actors! Aside from Mr. Oldman the film contains many other fine performances from great actors such as Ed Harris, Sean Pean, Robin Wright, Burgess Meredith, John C. Riley, and was directed by Phil Jonou. Don't miss this movie!

One of many big gangster films released in 1990 ("Godfather 3", "Goodfellas", "Miller's Crossing", "Dick Tracy", "Boyz N The Hood", "King of New York", "Q and A" etc), "State of Grace" stars Sean Penn as an undercover agent tasked with infiltrating an Irish gang which operates out of New York's Hell's Kitchen. As a look into organised crime, the film is as superficial as its siblings, lacking any major insight. As an undercover cop movie it's more successful, though still inferior to similar fare like "Donnie Brasco" (director's cut), "Serpico", "We Own The Night", "Prince of the City", "Eastern Promise", even "Point Break".The film boasts a fine cast – Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, John Turturro – but their characters have been mostly reduced to much yelling, growling and macho posturing. It's ethnic details are equally unconvincing, "Irishness" reduced to booze drinking drunks and gun-fights cross-cut with St Patrick's Day parades. Still, the film contains a number of great sequences, including one in which a low level hoodlum begs for his life, several tense stand offs and some moments of nice scenery chewing by Penn and his co-stars. But it's the film's opening pair of scenes which are genius, revealing their true workings only some forty minutes later. Beyond this the film is mostly formulaic, director Phil Joanou laying the pretence on thick, with noirsh lighting, melodramatic brush strokes and big New York backdrops. Penn seems to have fondness for going undercover ("Falcon and the Snowman", "We're No Angels", "At Close Range").7.9/10 – Worth one viewing. See "Harsh Times" and "Street Kings" instead.