State of Grace (1990)

A New York cop is recruited to return to his hometown and infiltrate the mob ran by his best friend's brother.

Director:

Phil Joanou

Writer:

Dennis McIntyre

Stars:

Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Penn	...	Terry Noonan
Ed Harris	...	Frankie Flannery
Gary Oldman	...	Jackie Flannery
Robin Wright	...	Kathleen Flannery
John Turturro	...	Nick
Burgess Meredith	...	Finn
R.D. Call	...	Pat Nicholson, Frankie's Lieutenant
Joe Viterelli	...	Borelli
John C. Reilly	...	Stevie McGuire
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Irene
Marco St. John	...	Jimmy Cavello
Thomas G. Waites	...	Frankie's Man
Michael Cambridge	...	Frankie's Man (as Brian Burke)
Michael Cumpsty	...	Frankie's Man
Mick Cunningham	...	Frankie's Man (as Michael Cunningham)

Storyline

Terry Noonan returns home to New York's Hells Kitchen after a ten year absence. He soon hooks up with childhood pal Jackie who is involved in the Irish mob run by his brother Frankie. Terry also rekindles an old flame with Jackie's sister Kathleen. Soon, however, Terry is torn between his loyalty to his friends and his loyalties to others.

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Plot Keywords:

bar | anger | betrayal | weeping | gang war | 

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Taglines:

The Irish mob in Hell's Kitchen.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Im Vorhof der Hölle

Filming Locations:

Little Italy, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,911,542

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinehaus, Orion Pictures, The Rank Organisation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Frankie goes for a sit down with Borelli, the restaurant they are in is the same restaurant that was used several times in the hit T.V. show, The Sopranos.

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Goofs

In the scene in the church, when Jackie climbs the statue, the bottle that he is drinking out of goes from being in his hand to being on the edge of the statue from one take to the next.

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Quotes

Jackie Flannery: The last guinea who walked around up here was Columbus, and he only lasted a week.
Borelli's Man: What are you, some fuckin' asshole? Or are you just taking lessons?
Jackie Flannery: [smirks and headbutts him]

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Connections

Referenced in En la cama (2005)

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Soundtracks

Swan Lake
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performed by The 101 Strings Orchestra
By arrangement with Original Sound Entertainment

User Reviews

The Westies.

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