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
Ed Harris	...	Frankie
Gary Oldman	...	Jackie
Robin Wright	...	Kathleen
John Turturro	...	Nick
John C. Reilly	...	Stevie
R.D. Call	...	Nicholson
Joe Viterelli	...	Borelli
Burgess Meredith	...	Finn
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Irene
Marco St. John	...	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

Did You Know?

Trivia

A number of scenes were cut from the film for pacing reasons as the original cut of the film was closer to 3 hours long. Of the scenes cut, the most notable included an entire subplot featuring Frankie and Jackie killing Irish mob bosses together. This subplot was to enhance the relationship between Frankie and Jackie but, in the end, it didn't make it into the final film. To this day, the only footage that remains of these scenes can be seen in some Orion Home Video trailers.

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Goofs

When Nicholson guns down the bartender who had just been talking to Terry, the baseball bat the bartender is holding while being shot varies from being shot to pieces to being back in one piece again between shots.

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Quotes

Jackie Flannery: I wanna have kids. Just gotta find the right broad like Frankie did. Someone who let me fool around on the weekends and still make pancakes before Sunday Mass. Like Irene maybe.
Terry Noonan: Who's Irene?
Jackie Flannery: Ooooh! You've got to meet her man. I spend one night with her my eyes are crossed for days. I walk into walls.
Terry Noonan: I'd like to meet her.
Jackie Flannery: She's mine though.

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Connections

Referenced in En la Cama (2005)

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Soundtracks

Drink Before the War
Written and performed by Sinéad O'Connor
Published by Dizzy Heights Music Publishing Ltd. / Chrysalis Music (ASCAP)
Used by permission of Ensign Records Ltd. / Chrysalis Records Ltd.

User Reviews

One of the best. And DeNiro's not in it.

Simply put, this movie is perfect. I live in NYC and the general air of it is caught perfectly on film. The people, the places, everything. I especially like the bluish tint used over a lot of the film. It definitely adds to the mood. The performances are incredible, even Burgess Meredith in the couple of minutes that he has onscreen. Sean Penn and Ed Harris together create an unbelievable amount of tension. I have to give them both kudos and especially Robin Wright, who turns in an excellent performance as the frustrated love interest who's connection to the life follows her no matter how far uptown she moves. No surprise when I say that Gary Oldman takes the cake for this one. He manages to outshine everyone around him, just like he did in the Professional. His performance is the driving force behind this movie and it is worth watching just to catch this legend in the making in one of his earlier roles. I cannot find one flaw in this movie and the slow motion finale is among the top five ending sequences ever. Every viewing reveals something else, something to make you appreciate this film even more. Catch this one if you haven't seen it, you won't be disappointed. My only regret is that I didn't see it while it was in theatrical release. One of the best gangster flicks, period. Rating: ***** out of *****.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

State of Grace

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$179,927, 16 September 1990

Gross USA:

$1,911,542

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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