Just perfect...

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Certainly one of, if not THE, most overrated film on IMDb, it's so far from being "the best gangster movie ever made" and "an undiscovered gem," it leaves me uncertain whether to laugh or puke. Basically what it is is a Bad Acting Olympics, in which two puerile hams chew scenery, props, costumes and would have finished the camera if left to their own ways. I refer to Gary Oldman, who clearly knows better, and the god-awful Sean Penn, who clearly doesn't. Penn blubbers and weeps and shrieks and curses his way through an overly-convoluted plot whose subplots keep canceling each other out, as (SPOILER) an undercover cop trying to get into an Irish mob comprised mainly of his old friends. Scorsese covered much the same in "The Departed," which was infinitely better than this twaddle. If Penn isn't moping or weeping or shouting, Oldman is (whoever put THEM in the same movie?) while now and then Robin Wright goes all Joan Crawford as well. Only Ed Harris emerges with dignity intact. Terrible phony gunfight at end comes from nowhere, director has no idea what he's doing, cop subplot simply trickles out. People who praise this belong in a special room in hell with admirers of "Patch Adams" and "Scent of a Woman."

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.

State of grace, the morning after. This movie was sort of a surprise for me I looked at its cast and IMDb rating and wondered if I had missed a gem, I had. I went into this movie having read or heard very little of its plot, but I caught onto it right away and predicted the twists and turns well before they were laying their foundations. It's not a complicated movie and it certainly isn't a bad movie. That being said the actors were trying to capture the insanity and volatility of Irish gangsters of the era and I think that save for a few over acted scenes, (OK a lot of over acted scenes) they did that. Something we forget on our journeys thru these films of old (I was born in the years this film was being made) is something that my parents reminded me of: it's a very good movie for the era and for what it is. The characters are relatable and the cast is well picked. As far as directing/writing goes I think that there could have been slightly stronger character and plot development considering the length of the movie and especially between the characters that have a relationship previous to what we see. All in all there were very few disappointments It will always be hard for me to dislike a Gary Oldman movie. Gary Oldman as ever took a challenging role and worked with it. But it was an unnatural role for almost anyone to play so even the great Gary Oldman, falls off here and there. I found myself wondering when his scenes would end and this is something I usually reserve for Hollywood model/actors like Megan Fox. Sean Penn is an actor whose brilliance I usually have a hard time seeing until I think of his work as a whole in a film. This movie was an exception I enjoyed his work from beginning to end. Penn was one of the offending parties in the aforementioned "over acted" scenes but really that's a part of his acting style. And at the end of the movie, thinking it over I gained a little bit of respect for him as an actor. Ed Harris wasn't really playing a role that sits at the forefront of the film but he is the antagonist and I think for that he did great, maintaining a steady character thru the entire movie. Finally, as with any John Turturro movie he left me wanting more. I personally think that Turturro made very few bad movies. His character in this film embodies his acting very well as he is an actor that can be trusted with a simple role without over complicating it. no, I did not cover the entire cast in this review nor did i write the storyline out for all to read, it just is not complicated enough a film to do so. To explain any aspects would leave the reader watching thru major parts of the film already aware of what is happening. This is my first posted review. I hope I did OK! And thanks for taking the time to read.

Just caught this on television and was so impressed with the film I felt compelled to write a review. I'm positive we would have heard much more about this film if it hadn't been released at the same time as Goodfellas. Other users have already lauded the superlative performances by Oldman, Penn, and Harris, so I'll save myself the trouble. Like any great film those behind the camera deserve as much credit as the actors on screen.The direction by Phil Joanou is phenomenal. I missed the opening credits, and throughout the film I had the feeling I was watching an overlooked DePalma masterpiece. I was wrong, but if you've seen The Untouchables or Carlito's Way, I think you'll see where I was coming from. Perhaps this is partially due to what might be the finest aspect of the film--the incredible score by Ennio Morricone (who also wrote the Untouchables score).BEGIN SPOILEROne criticism of the film I have seen on this message board concerns the climactic gun fight at the end. Some argue that the scene is contrived. I would argue that a careful viewing reveals deeply rooted theological themes questioning the nature of existence and the divine (hence Terry Noonan's monologue referencing a "state of grace" as an idea, versus the ugly reality of earthly life). The slow motion gunfight at the end is juxtaposed with images of the simultaneously occurring St. Patrick's Day parade and associated Irish Catholic cultural imagery such as the four leaf clover. It occurred to me that what at first blush appears to be a contrived battle in which the hero prevails against all odds, is in fact a cinematic nod to divine intervention (and in that sense it is a deuce ex machina, and a contrivance--although in my mind, a forgivable one). Frankie Flannery fires shot after point blank shot at Noonan, each one of them missing. Noonan stands motionless as the bullets whiz by and does not return fire until Frankie runs out of bullets. Only then does Noonan fire a single bullet, which hits Frankie square between the eyes, killing him instantly. To me, this symbolizes a divine answer to Noonan's existential questions, as well as a nod to the biblical maxim "I am my brother's keeper" (Book of Genesis)--which can be applied with equal force to Frankie, who is punished for committing fratricide, or Noonan, who is saved for seeking retribution on behalf of Jackie, his murdered friend and putative brother.I should mention that I am pretty much an agnostic bordering on atheist, so personal feelings about the merits of religion or the existence of god played no part in my assessment of the film and what I view to be its theologically inspired themes.