Rent State of Grace (1990)

Too Moody for the Mob Canon? - State of Grace review by griggs

I’m genuinely baffled by how lukewarm the reception to State of Grace is. This gritty, moody New York gangster flick delivers the goods: bruised loyalty, blood-streaked betrayals, and a slow-burn tension you could cut with a switchblade. Sean Penn is quietly magnetic, and Gary Oldman steals every smoky bar-room scene, backed by a rock-solid ensemble. The city itself—rain-slick alleys, amber dive lights—feels lifted straight from the Lumet playbook, all grimy streets and moral decay behind every brownstone.

Still, a nagging thought: am I just riding my own nostalgia? I’ve tramped those battered West-Side pavements, ducked into faux-Irish dives that could’ve doubled as sets. When a film maps my mental A-to-Z so precisely, objectivity scuttles off like a cockroach under neon.

It’s never flashy, but it hits hard. Why isn’t this spoken of with more respect?

Solid Gangster Film With Great Cast - State of Grace review by GI

This is a gutsy gangster film about Irish mobsters in New York. Ed Harris is Frankie, the boss, who is desperately trying to become the No. 1 mobster in the 'Hell's Kitchen' quarter of NY aided by his emotionally unstable brother Jackie (Gary Oldman). To do so he is trying to form an alliance with the mafia and has to prove to them his organisation can function properly but he's having problems controlling Jackie. Then Terry (Sean Penn) arrives back in the neighbourhood after being away for years. He and Jackie were once best friends and soon Terry is part of the gang. But he has a secret that will unravel all of Frankie's plans. A story of friendship and loyalty all wrapped up in a gritty and violent crime story and is superbly played throughout aided by Robin Wright, John C. Reilly and John Turturro. With the added bonus of a score by Ennio Morricone you have a first rate American gangster film that really rocks and it has a great slow motion and bloody gunfight climax so well worth checking out if you've never seen it.

Turgid gangster flick - State of Grace review by AER

Unconvincing and turgid gangster flick set in Hell's Kitchen. It has a top (kitchen) drawer cast: Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Robin Wright, RD Call, John C Reilly and John Turturro, yet it plods its way through a succession of well-worn (even by 1990) story beats. I wonder if Infernal Affairs took it's inspiration from this film's story yet the makers made an effort to improve it dramatically. The cast over act, scream and shout and smash things. And shoot each other. I like crime flicks but this was hard to like.