State of Grace [Blu-ray]

Director: Phil Joanou Phil Joanou

Overview

This directorial effort from Phil Joanou stars Sean Penn as an Irish-American undercover cop working the Hell's Kitchen beat. Penn is ostensibly on a sentimental journey to his old neighborhood. Actually he's been assigned to infiltrate a criminal gang led by Ed Harris, the brother of Sean's best friend Gary Oldman. Penn suffers the requisite honor vs. duty anguish when he renews his childhood romance with Harris' sister Robin Wright. State of Grace would have had more clout had it been more clear as to time and place: it's supposedly set in the 1990s, but the attitudes and behavior are pure 1970s.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/09/2022
UPC:	0850035985892
Original Release:	1990
Rating:	R
Source:	Sandpiper Pictures
Language:	English
Time:	2:14:00
Sales rank:	2,432

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sean Penn	Terry Noonan
Ed Harris	Frankie Flannery
Gary Oldman	Jackie Flannery
Robin Wright	Kathleen Flannery
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
Jaime Tirelli	Alvarez
Sandra Beall	Stevie's Date
Tom Sullivan	Police Detective
Mo Gaffney	Maureen
John MacKay	Raferty,Raferty
John Ottavino	Raferty's Son
Jack Wallace	Matty's Bartender
Paul-Felix Montez	Pool Hall Manager
Freddi Chandler	Waitress
Tommy Sullivan	Police Detective
Ben Fine	Hotel Doorman
Thomas G. Waites	Frankie's Man
Brian Burke	Frankie's Man
Michael Cumpsty	Frankie's Man
Michael Cunningham	Frankie's Man
Daniel O'Shea	Frankie's Man
Lou Eppolito	Borelli's Man,Borelli's Man
Thomas F. Duffy	Frankie's Man
Vincent Guastaferro	Borelli's Man
John Anthony Williams	Borelli's Man
John Roselius	Borelli's Man
Tim Gallin	Bar Customer
Timothy D. Klein	Bar Customer
Frank Girardeau	Bartender
Michael P. Moran	Bartender
Saasha Costello	Frankie's Child
Frank Coletta	Bartender
Catherine Stewart	Frankie's Child
James Russo	Actor
Ennio Morricone	Composer

Technical Credits

Dennis McIntyre

Phil Joanou	Director
Dennis McIntyre	Screenwriter
Ned Dowd	Producer
Randy Ostrow	Producer
Ron Rotholz	Producer
Al Griswold	Special Effects
Jery Hewitt	Stunts
William Traynor	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

1990 was a big year for the mob in Hollywood, which may explain why this excellent film didn't fair better at the box office. Granted, it's not as good as Miller's Crossing or Goodfellas, but it is superior to the Best Picture-nominated Godfather Part III (all 1990). State of Grace starts out as a fairly generic story about Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) returning to his childhood stomping grounds in Hell's Kitchen to find his best friend, Jackie Flannery (Gary Oldman), is still crazy and Jackie's older brother, Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris), in charge of the gang. Of course Jackie's sister, Kathleen (Robin Wright), enters the picture and, of course, it's only a matter of minutes before she and Terry rekindle the old flame. But then the movie starts to explore much deeper issues. Hell's Kitchen in 1990 was undergoing the first signs of gentrification, causing the Irish to lose their homes and businesses. Frankie sees the angle and chooses to run the gang from his suburban house in Jersey while selling out the Kitchen for his own gains. Jackie represents the old neighborhood where you watch each other's back, no matter what. Terry has his own agenda; as an undercover cop, he struggles with the prospect of maybe having to bust his old buddies. As things heat up and the lies run deeper, the violence becomes more serious until it spins out of control. Director Phil Joanou keeps the tension mounting until the climatic final scene, which predicts Quentin Tarantino's highly stylized blood-and-guts slo-mo showdowns and pays homage to Scorsese's Taxi Driver at the same time. The entire cast glows, but Penn and Oldman are the stars. Oldman adds depth and heart to what could have simply been "the Crazy Guy" role and Penn speaks volumes with his trademark puppy dog eyes. Look for John Turturro and John C. Reilly in strong supporting roles. Although it flounders at points, State of Grace has all the elements to make it a smart character piece with a social comment.

All Movie Guide - Scott Engel