State of Grace (1990 film)
| State of Grace | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Phil Joanou |
| Written by | Dennis McIntyre |
| Produced by | Ned Dowd Randy Ostrow Ron Rotholz |
| Starring | Sean Penn Ed Harris Gary Oldman Robin Wright John Turturro John C. Reilly |
| Cinematography | Jordan Cronenweth |
| Edited by | Claire Simpson |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 134 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
State of Grace (1990) is an American neo-noir[1] crime film starring Sean Penn, Ed Harris and Gary Oldman, and featuring Robin Wright, John Turturro and John C. Reilly. Written by Dennis McIntyre and directed by Phil Joanou, the film was executive produced by Ned Dowd, Randy Ostrow, and Ron Rotholz and features a score by Ennio Morricone.[2] Although not a box office success, the film was generally well received by critics.
Shot on location in New York City, "State of Grace" was inspired in part by the real-life Hell's Kitchen gang known as "The Westies."
Premise
After a long absence, Terry Noonan (Penn) is welcomed back to the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City by his oldest childhood friend, Jackie Flannery (Oldman), a violent hothead who works as a gunman for an Irish-American gang led by his older brother, Frankie Flannery (Harris).
Jackie gives his blessing as Noonan seeks to join the gang. Unbeknownst to the Flannerys, however, Noonan is a cop working undercover to bring down Frankie, who's close to allying with the New York Mafia.
Noonan finds himself in emotional turmoil as his relationships with Jackie and an old flame, Kathleen (Wright) -– Jackie and Frankie's younger sister -– are rekindled.
Cast
- Sean Penn as Terry Noonan
- Ed Harris as Frankie Flannery
- Gary Oldman as Jackie Flannery
- Robin Wright as Kathleen Flannery
- John Turturro as Nick
- John C. Reilly as Stevie McGuire
- R. D. Call as Pat Nicholson
- Joe Viterelli as Borelli
- Burgess Meredith as Finn
- Marco St. John as Jimmy Cavello
- Mo Gaffney as Maureen
- Deirdre O'Connell as Irene
- Thomas G. Waites as Frankie's Man
- Brian Burke as Frankie's Man
- Michael Cumpsty as Frankie's Man
- Michael Cunningham as Frankie's Man
Critical reception
State of Grace was generally well received by critics. Of the reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an overall approval rating of 88%.[3] Janet Maslin, film critic for The New York Times, wrote, "Mr. Joanou attempts to capture the sense of place that defines urban crime, and the ethnic and territorial distinctions that give it shape. He is successful much of the time here." Maslin praised Oldman and Harris, writing, "Jackie Flannery is played by the phenomenal Gary Oldman, who since Sid and Nancy has taken on a string of new accents and dramatic identities with stunning ease", and "Jackie's icy older brother...is played by Ed Harris with an eeriness to match Mr. Oldman's."[4]
Critic Vincent Leo praised Penn's performance, noting, "While Oldman gets the accolades for his energetic performance, it is really Penn's inner demons that provides the film with the right amount of conflict, always letting us be aware that fine lines are the difference between life and death, as well as right and wrong, out in the streets of New York. Is Penn doing the noble thing by taking down the criminals, or is he a rat bastard, disowning himself from the way of life and people who helped him along the way? It's the question that makes him sick to the pit of his stomach, and Penn shows it in his face with almost every scene."[5]
Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert awarded the film 3 stars out of four: "Gary Oldman's performance in the movie is the best thing about it... He acts only on the basis of his instincts and prejudices, or out of vengeance and fear."[6]
Distribution
Box Office
The film was released on a limited basis on September 14, 1990. First-week box office totaled $179,927 (14 screens).[7]
According to "The Numbers" web site, the film was in circulation a few weeks and appeared on 335 screens in its widest release. Total receipts were $1,911,542.[8]
Ebert believed the difficulty State of Grace had at the box office was due to another film with the same theme being released the same week, Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.[9]
Soundtrack
The original soundtrack was released on October 1, 1990, by MCA. The CD has eighteen tracks, is 53:45 in length, and features a score composed, orchestrated and conducted by Ennio Morricone.
Other songs in film
In the scene where Jackie introduces his girlfriend to Terry, the song "Trip Through Your Wires" by the band U2 can be heard in the background. Both this song and "Exit" are cuts from the 1987 album The Joshua Tree and are also played in the film's trailer. Joanou previously directed U2's 1988 live concert documentary U2: Rattle and Hum and the band's video for the single "One" (1992). Guns N Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine" plays in a bar scene.
See also
- The Westies: Irish-American organized crime gang in Hell's Kitchen, New York.
References
- ^ Silver, Alain and Elizabeth Ward, eds. Film Noir: An Ecyclopedic Reference to the American Style, "Filmography of neo-noir," page 438, 3rd Edition. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-479-5.
- ^ State of Grace at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ State of Grace at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: December 4, 2007.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. The New York Times, film review, September 14, 1990.
- ^ Leo, Vincent. Qwipster, film review.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. The Chicago Sun-Times, film review, September 14, 1990. Last accessed: June 8, 2008.
- ^ Box Office Mojo box office data.
- ^ The Numbers box office data. Last accessed: December 5, 2007.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Ibid.
External links
- State of Grace at IMDb
- Template:Amg title
- State of Grace film trailer