State of Grace

Starring:Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn, John Turturro, John C. Reilly, R.D. Call, Joe Viterelli, Burgess Meredith, Deirdre O'Connell, Marco St. John, Thomas G. Waites, Brian Burke, Michael Cumpsty, Michael Cunningham, Daniel O'Shea, Thomas F. Duffy, Jaime Tirelli, Sandra Beall, Vincent Guastaferro
Director: Phil Joanou
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Overshadowed by GoodFellas when it was released in 1990, State of Grace gradually emerged as one of the best New York gangster films of its decade. It was also the first to feature the Irish American mob known as the Westies. Here, their territory west of Times Square is being gentrified by an unwelcome infusion of yuppie cash, squeezing them into a reluctant alliance with Mafia kingpins. Frankie (Ed Harris) is the boss; little brother Jackie (Gary Oldman) is his volatile muscle; their friend Terry (Sean Penn) has returned from an extended absence, harboring a dangerous secret while rekindling his love for Frankie and Jackie's sister Kathleen (Robin Wright, Penn's future wife). Giving one of his scariest, most violent performances, Oldman offers stark, brutal contrast to Harris's pent-up fury, while Penn breathes life into his character's standard-issue dilemma. A former protégé of Steven Spielberg's, director Phil Joanou handles this gritty potboiler with confident, unobtrusive style, ramping up the tension of divided loyalties, even as the plot grows increasingly familiar. --Jeff Shannon

Description

New York City's Hell's Kitchen is a pressure cooker of pent-up anger and it's about to explode! Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, John Turturro and John C. Reilly deliver exceptional performances (The Hollywood Reporter) in this finely drawn tale of betrayal, redemption and guilt (Los Angeles) that'll put you on the edge of your seat (Newsweek)! Terry Noonan (Penn) returns to his old neighborhood with a score to settle. He's now an undercover cop dead-set on taking down an Irish mob family headed by Frankie Flannery (Harris) and his hot-headed brother Jackie (Oldman). But when Noonan infiltrates the family, his old feelings for the Flannerys sister (Wright) further heighten the stakes as he enters a violent showdown with them during a crowded St. Patrick's Day Parade!

Customer Reviews:

Underrated.......2007-04-23

In the gangster genre, this flick more than holds its own. As far as Irish gangster movies go, this is the best one I've seen - not that there are a whole lot of Irish gangster flicks. Better than "Departed". See it!

Great and gritty mob movie.......2007-02-17

This is one of my all time favorite mobster movies. You have a great cast of actors including Sean Penn, Ed Harris, John Turturro, John C. Reilly, Robin Wright and Gary Oldman. This is Gary Oldman's movie by a mile and if you appreciate the man and you haven't seen this film, you need to put this one on priority. Definitely an overlooked gem and well worth two hours of your life.

The DVD for the film is okay. The picture is crisp and the audio is a pretty decent 5.1 surround mix. The only special feature is the theatrical trailer which in my opinion is way too revealing. Other than that, I can't really complain about this disc being that it's being sold for so cheap. Definitely worth at least a look.

didn't like it.......2006-12-31

Without revealing anything about the movie, I did not like it because it was unrealistic, especially the Gary Oldman character.

These are gangsters that do anything in broad daylight, without any planning, without any regards to getting caught?! Undercover officers that reveal their identity?! PLEASE!

The movie was of quality simply because of the strength of the big name actors but the acting, story, editing (the parade montage was annoying) special effects (the shootings weer overdramatic) and very wooden charactors were not indicative of a superior film.

This film is grossly overrated.

NYC Irish crime at it's last hurrah.......2006-10-26

Boston cop (Penn) returns to his old neighborhood in NYC known as Hell's Kitchen, a tenderloin slice of the west side of Manhattan long known by the NYPD and the FBI as an Irish-American criminal arena. He is assigned to take down a brutal gang run by Frankie Flannery (Harris) and his out-of-control brother, Jackie (Oldman). They are his childhood buddies, which tears his loyalty in half. Penn and Harris are amazing. Yet, like alot of other reviews, Oldman steals the show. Gary once said this his favorite role of all time, I can see why. Rated R.

...a powerful gangster movie.......2006-05-07

While I was reviewing State Of Grace, I was debating whether to give it 4 or 5 stars. Despite the movie's mild reception at the box office and the little credibility it gets today, I realized that it actually is a classic nontheless. First of all, the movie sparked excellent performances by the entire cast, including Sean Penn (Fast Times At Ridgemont High), Ed Harris (The Truman Show), Gary Oldman (JFK), Robin Wright (Forrest Gump), John C. Reilly (The Aviator), John Turturro (Do The Right Thing), R.D. Call (Young Guns II), and Burgess Meredith (Rocky). Secondly, the movie's storyline and script, although familiar, are epical in their own right.

State Of Grace is about an undercover cop named Terry Noonan, played by Penn, who is assigned by his superior officer Nick, played by Turturro, to infiltrate a New York City Irish gang led by the sadistically merciless Frankie Flannery, played by Harris, and his crazy hard-drinking brother Jackie, played remarkably by the scene-stealing Oldman. Both Flannerys used to be Terry's close friends before he escaped their life of crime to Boston to join law enforcement. Terry will have to crack down on his friends and in the process risk being uncovered, as well as losing the loyalty of Jackie, who he loves like a brother, and the love of the Flannery sister Kathleen, played by Penn's future wife Wright.

The movie was released in the fall of 1990 and was overshadowed by another gangster movie that earned Academy Awards; that movie, of course, was Martin Scorsese's brilliant Goodfellas. But State Of Grace, with or without awards, remains to be a powerful gangster movie that shines thanks to the sincerity of an all-star cast.

Recommended

A

Average customer rating:

Underrated
Great and gritty mob movie
didn't like it
NYC Irish crime at it's last hurrah
...a powerful gangster movie

State of Grace [Region 2]
Starring: Sean Penn , Ed Harris , Gary Oldman , Robin Wright Penn , and John Turturro
Director: Phil Joanou
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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