State of Grace

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State of Grace

R

1990

2h 14m

Crime

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Gone for a decade, Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) is welcomed back into the fold in his Irish-American neighborhood in New York City. A one-time street tough, Terry is now an undercover officer targeting crime boss Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris). In the name of duty, Terry rekindles his dormant friendship with Frankie's younger brother, Jackie (Gary Oldman). But as Terry gets closer to his goal, his feelings for the youngest Flannery, his old flame Kathleen (Robin Wright), complicate his mission.

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Critics Consensus

State of Grace brings an impressive ensemble cast to bear on its epic gangster saga, elevating a largely familiar story with outstanding performances.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

01/03/2012

2/5

Every indulgence, including a two hour and 14 minute running time, is on display.

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Variety Staff

Variety

03/26/2009

A handsomely produced, mostly riveting, but ultimately overlong and overindulgent gangster picture.

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Derek Adams

Time Out

02/09/2006

A hugely impressive piece of work for a young director previously known for his documentary U2 Rattle and Hum.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

May 11

5/5

… a stone cold classic in its own right…while most gangster films are nostalgic throwbacks to serve an audience of old men, State of Grace updates, recycles and revitalises cliches by firmly setting the narrative in the present, or at least 1990…

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Apr 9

B

A well-acted, lyrically written and solid thriller.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

02/09/2023

3/4

It's (mob) business as usual, elevated by forceful turns by all the principals, particularly Gary Oldman as a twitchy live wire who's fiercely loyal to friends and family.

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Frans B

@FransB Jan 14

Brilliant, epic. No wonder many movies were modelled on this. Great story, very well written. Whole cast excels in character, Gary Oldman just superb in character here. Visually stunning with great cinematography. Lots of action, twists, suspense, intrigue and emotion. Very entertaining and will remain classic

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Dec 13

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Nano N

@Nanonevol Sep 22

Sean Penn at his peak, I suppose. Oldman shows more charisma and is more fun to watch. The ending was really unbelievable not in a good way. Even the greediest gangster is not going to shoot and kill his own brother point blank.

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Daniel C. M

Jul 4

Better known as "the one mobster movie from 1990 that got completely overshadowed by Goodfellas", State of Grace still remains a fine piece of work with great, realist characters and acting, with a special highlight to Gary Oldman's amazing performance; and it all wraps up in a typical but thrilling and immersive final shootout. Despite all of it's qualities, the story definetely is written like it has a good amount of Soap Opera's roots, and even for those who are willing to tolerate like me, it will definetely take a toll on the other aspects of the moving, specially in some of the pacing; as the movie has a small but considerable amount of completely needless scenes, specially the ones envolving Sean Penn's love interest, Kathleen, played by Robin Wright, which is a a character which could easily be removed in it's entirety from this movie and it would be benefited from this change.

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Mike c

Jun 14

I'm no movie critic or expert. And I won't pretend to be. This movie is very entertaining and it is great to see the young upcoming actors..Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, John C Riley and Ed Harris. And if you liked the final shoot em up scene in Django by Tarantino, you will love the final scene in this one.

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Les N

@Vegas628 May 30

Where is all began...

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Phil Joanou

Director

Sean Penn

Terry Noonan

Ed Harris

Frankie Flannery

Gary Oldman

Jackie Flannery

Robin Wright

Kathleen Flannery

John Turturro

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Synopsis

Gone for a decade, Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) is welcomed back into the fold in his Irish-American neighborhood in New York City. A one-time street tough, Terry is now an undercover officer targeting crime boss Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris). In the name of duty, Terry rekindles his dormant friendship with Frankie's younger brother, Jackie (Gary Oldman). But as Terry gets closer to his goal, his feelings for the youngest Flannery, his old flame Kathleen (Robin Wright), complicate his mission.

Director: Phil Joanou
Producer: Ned Dowd, Randy Ostrow, Ron Rotholz
Screenwriter: Dennis McIntyre
Production Co: Cinehaus, Rank Organisation, Orion Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.9M
Runtime: 2h 14m
Sound Mix: Surround

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