Brendan O. Clarke 2008-04-16

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Consider the idea: Make a ganster movie with brillinat actors such as Ed harris, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, John Tutorro etc, music by Ennio Morricone, cinematography by J. Croenweth (Blade Runner) and you have a classic gangster movie.

NO, because at its heart, State of Grace isn't really a new kind of film in the small-time gangster genre, but it is an example of one that follows the formula with mediocre precision. This movie is about loyalty, and how money and power can sometimes break the most powerful bonds of all -- family. State of Grace fits this model to a tee, but with strong performances and gorgeous cinematography (Jordan Cronenweth, Blade Runner), this is a slow and not so finely-tuned drama that failed to plese me on any level.


Sean Penn is a low-level Irish gangster (they sell cheap Irish whiskey to sleazy bar owners) who returns to his roots in New York's Hell's Kitchen district after many years away. Unbeknownst to the guys in the neighborhood he grew up with, Terry has pent the last several years as a cop, and is now working undercover to crack down on the organized crime element that they are mostly composed of.

Penn's loyalties are in doubt when he rekindles an old relationship with the sister of the head of the gang, Robin Wright Penn, who is fighting her own struggles with wanting to divorce herself from all that her brothers represent. State of Grace failed to arrest my attention with its morally ambiguous situations. It's not The Godfather or GoodFellas, and Joanou (Final Analysis) has crafted a boring, nice-looking looking film, and he has since returned to directing for TV in the USA.


But the movie's plot paradoxically gets less and less original, the more complicated it becomes. At the outset, when it seems concerned only with the behavior of its characters, it's original and challenging. Then it turns into a story filled with familiar elements, and by the end everything is happening by the numbers. There's another problem. This movie, intended as a gritty slice-of-life about gangsters in New York City, is being released at about the same time as Martin Scorsese's "GoodFellas," which deals with the same subject and is a film so strong and graceful that few others can stand comparison to it.

This film is a TV movie. It is completely routine, adding absolutely nothing to an already saturated genre niche of the N York gangsters.
Phil Jaonou's movie will probably be studied at film schools around the world in an attempt to learn how not to make a ganster movie.

Matthew Doran 2007-04-12

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Here is one of thoes fils that you will catch the back end of on late night TV, and think to yourself "wow that was a great ending, I must remember what its called so I can watch it again when its on" You know the type I mean.
Anyway, here is a classic movie to see Gary Oldman playing the usual role of a egotistical, psychotic drunk down to a T. Infact all the acting in this movie is, in my opinion is great Ed Woods portrail of the mob leader to Sean Penns charecter of the guy that should know better. If you like the kind of gangster movie where not everyone in it is Italian and there is actually a story line that is intringuing, then this is the movie for you.

tom 2004-03-10

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

First saw this film on long term absense from work years ago. I'd just about seen every film in my local video store and what attracted me was the cast and the fact it was a gangster film. Say no more. I was tempted and took a chance - what a choice!

It'a fair to say that the themes of this film are set in stone yet what the last reviewer fails to say is how thrilling the plot is. I was hooked. If you can accept that films about street level hoods and mob based crime have long been the norm since the Godfather then you can focus on the plot details rather than pointing out the cliches.

I will say no more about the plot than it follows Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) returning to his old neighboorhood wher he hooks up with his old pal Jackie Flannery (Gary Oldman) and becomes involved with Jackie's bro Frankie's (Ed Harris) mob who rule over Hell's Kitchen.

It is a brutally violent film yet no matter how repulsive the actions of each character become (watch Gary Oldman wipe out a couple of drinking hoods with no remorse if you know what I mean) you find yourself rooting for them.

The central trio of actors are as good as they've ever been and are supported by a collection of underratedactors - John C Reilly, John Turturro to name a few. Gary Oldman and Sean Penn are the two that bind the film together yet it is Ed Harris that holds the attention, he is repulsive yet vunerable in his scenes with his boss leading the viewer to empathise with his crucial decision.

I have recommended this film to many friends who would never have seen it otherwise and they all agree that it kicks arse! If you are a fan of filma such as Mean Streets, Donnie Brasco, King Of New York and (of course) Goodfellas then give this one a try as I feel it is truly underrated and deserves to sit alongside those afore mentioned.

2004-01-06

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Great movie starring Ed Harris,Sean Penn, Gary Oldman and others.Basically about Irish gang life in the US with Gary Oldman and Sean Penn being good friends from way back who have not seen each other for a while.They pair up and go on a destruction-robbing spree and all the time one of them is not quite who he makes out to be.Brilliant performance from Gary Oldman and also Ed Harris and a wicked build up at the end.Really worth wathcing.Me and my mates could not believe how good this was and that we had never heard of it !!

2003-11-07

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

This film catches absolutey brilliant performances by 6 very talanted actors. The theme is real. Read a book called The Westies by T.J. English and you will see how close this film is to real life. the moods, the scenes, the dialogue and the story all work up to a true masterpeice. This is an undiscovered treasure and If Phil only made one brilliant work then this is it. It happens to many artists. Nevertheless this film is fantastic work or art.