State of Grace

Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie Ever...Yes, I said Ever.
Review: Sean Penn, Gary OldMan, Ed Harris, Robin Wright...the cast says it all. One of the best movies ever made. Watch it every St. Paddy's day for a little "kick".

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: State of Grace is a good movie with great actors. The film follows a conventional storyline but is "buoyed up" by the novelty of the subject, the Irish Mob. About half way through the movie, the various characters start to interact in interesting ways, and the film acquires a momentum that it keeps until the end.

Unfortunately, none of the characters seems sufficiently developed to draw the viewer completely into the turmoil that is unfolding on the screen. Terry is the most complex character portrayed, but ultimately, at the end of the movie, I didn't really care what happened to Terry or his girlfriend, Kathleen. For me, becoming involved in a character's experience on screen is what separates adequate films from great films.

I give State of Grave three and a half stars. State of Grace is no Goodfellas, but watch it for compelling performances by Sean Penn and Gary Oldman, for the unique subject matter and for some fun action sequences. However, if you want to be inspired, or devastated, or watch a movie that conveys broader themes than what is happening physically on screen, I would recommend watching something else. This movie is a snapshot into a world, nothing more, nothing less. It left me with a vague feeling of emptiness and I won't be adding State of Grace to my DVD library anytime soon.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: State of Grace is a good movie with great actors. The film follows a conventional storyline but is "buoyed up" by the novelty of the subject, the Irish Mob. About half way through the movie, the various characters start to interact in interesting ways, and the film acquires a momentum that it keeps until the end.

Unfortunately, none of the characters seems sufficiently developed to draw the viewer completely into the turmoil that is unfolding on the screen. Terry is the most complex character portrayed, but ultimately, at the end of the movie, I didn't really care what happened to Terry or his girlfriend, Kathleen. For me, becoming involved in a character's experience on screen is what separates adequate films from great films.

I give State of Grave three and a half stars. State of Grace is no Goodfellas, but watch it for compelling performances by Sean Penn and Gary Oldman, for the unique subject matter and for some fun action sequences. However, if you want to be inspired, or devastated, or watch a movie that conveys broader themes than what is happening physically on screen, I would recommend watching something else. This movie is a snapshot into a world, nothing more, nothing less. It left me with a vague feeling of emptiness and I won't be adding State of Grace to my DVD library anytime soon.

Rating:
Summary: Totally underrated gangster movie
Review: State of Grace is a great movie.I don't know why it's not more popular.It's got great directing,dialogue,action,atmosphere and Sean Penn,Ed Harris & Gary Oldman all give the best performances of their careers.And there's lots of swearing and bloody violence.All the things a good gangster film should have. State Of Grace tells the tale of the Irish mafia in New York. Cop Terry(Penn) returns to NY and is thorn between his loyalties for his old gangster buddies,Frankie(Harris) & Jackie Flannery (Oldman),and his duties as a policeman. After the likes of The Godfather & Goodfellas,it's refreshing to see another ethnic group of gangsters rather than Italians,in this instance,the Irish.Oldman gives an amazing portrayal as the crazy,hard-drinking hood Jackie but I my favourite character in the movie is Harris' evil henchman.He's just such a cool character. The fine cast also includes Robin Wright Penn,John Turturro and John C.Reilly.I'd like State of Grace to come out on DVD soon.

Rating:
Summary: Totally underrated gangster movie
Review: State of Grace is a great movie.I don't know why it's not more popular.It's got great directing,dialogue,action,atmosphere and Sean Penn,Ed Harris & Gary Oldman all give the best performances of their careers.And there's lots of swearing and bloody violence.All the things a good gangster film should have. State Of Grace tells the tale of the Irish mafia in New York. Cop Terry(Penn) returns to NY and is thorn between his loyalties for his old gangster buddies,Frankie(Harris) & Jackie Flannery (Oldman),and his duties as a policeman. After the likes of The Godfather & Goodfellas,it's refreshing to see another ethnic group of gangsters rather than Italians,in this instance,the Irish.Oldman gives an amazing portrayal as the crazy,hard-drinking hood Jackie but I my favourite character in the movie is Harris' evil henchman.He's just such a cool character. The fine cast also includes Robin Wright Penn,John Turturro and John C.Reilly.I'd like State of Grace to come out on DVD soon.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Films You've Never Heard Of...
Review: State of Grace's strength is in it's cast. Just look at these names: Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Ed Harris, and Robin Wright. You'd expect a great film from this ensemble cast and that's exactly what you get. The story itself is great: two best friends since childhood, one stays in Hell's Kitchen(Oldman) and works for his Irish mob boss brother(Ed Harris); the other (Penn) becomes an undercover police officer. Years pass and now the only person the cops can send in to bring down these gangsters is Penn. Whoa! But the director pulls it off with flying colors. Penn's character Terry agonizes over having to bring down his childhood friend Jackie (Oldman) but eventually agrees to go in deep undercover to bust his brother Irish mob boss Frankie (Harris). Terry finds himself back in his old neighborhood and as comfortable as ever with his long lost pal Jackie. Terry walks the razors edge of being the law and breaking the law to get his job done. But, in the end Terry knows that this isn't a matter of law and order but a matter of right and wrong in it's purest sense. The ending of State of Grace ranks up among the most electrifying endings in the past 20 years and leaves you with only one word...wow. Highly Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Gangster film
Review: Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) returns to Hell's Kitchen after a ten year absence. He immediately falls back in with his childhood friend Jackie ( Gary Oldman), whose brother Frankie ( Ed Harris)is now running a powerful Irish mob. Frankie's organization is looking to make a deal with the Italian Mafia, and Jackie wants Terry brought in to make things run smoother. Unfortunately, Terry is also an undercover cop, and his sole purpose for coming back is to infiltrate Frankie's organization. Things become even more complicated, when Terry manages to rekindle an old romance with Jackie's sister Kathleen (Robin Wright). Now Terry is torn between his job, and remaining loyal to his friends and the woman he loves.

When people bring up the subject of mob films, State of Grace is never mentioned. The story behind the film is very captivating because it shows the fine line between standing by your friends, and doing what's right. The film does a very good job at masking Terry Noonan's intentions because you can never tell which side he is truly playing for. State of Grace is an original in the mob genre because it offers a look at the Irish mob, instead of the Italians. The Irish are natural born fighters and extremely violent. This is what made State of Grace such a powerful mob film. The cast is first rate in this film featuring Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Robin Wright, John C. Reily, and John Turturo. Each actor involved was brilliant in their roles.

Overall, State of Grace is probably one of the best mob films I have ever seen, and one of the most underrated films ever made. The story was captivating from beginning to end, the entire cast did a first rate job, and you get to take a first hand look at the Irish mob.

A solid 5 stars...

Rating:
Summary: greatest film ever !
Review: the greatest movie i have ever seen,there was no hype when it was released in 1990. after watching sean penn,oldman,harris and robin-wright it should have cleaned up at the oscars!
a must see film.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best films of the decade!!
Review: The whole setting of this film is awesome, this is one of the greatest films of the decade....Periode!! And I think that the acting in this film is brilliant, you've got Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, and Ed Harris in their greatest performances ever!! You've also got a superb supporting cast...Robin Wright Penn, John Turturro, and John C. Reilly!! Even the soundtrack is great!! If you haven't seen it yet, then you have missed something great!!

Rating:
Summary: A Missing Gem
Review: This film is an awesome reflection of the struggle to identify right and wrong. When among friends, the definition of right and wrong becomes very gray. In many ways, Penn's character is wrong in the betrayal of his friends. This film has a few twists, but generally, the plot is straightforward. If people like the humanity of the Sopranos, I think they will like this film. I think the reason this film did poorly in the theaters was due to the struggle that Penn was having with Madonna (the failed marriage) and the press at the time of its release. Penn could be a real jerk but so can the press. I still watch this film over and over again and it never gets boring. With all of the stars in this film, I am surprised it has not seen some kind of renaissance.