State of Grace

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State of Grace

R

1990

2h 14m

Crime

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ 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

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

Rated: 2/5

Jan 3, 2012

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Variety Staff

Variety

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

Mar 26, 2009

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Derek Adams

Time Out

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

Feb 9, 2006

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

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.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 9, 2023

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

A brilliantly unbalanced gangster melodrama. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 6, 2022

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Ross McIndoe

The Skinny

Joanou is no Scorsese but he successfully builds a satisfying crime flick around Oldman's electrifying performance.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 19, 2015

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JuDonne C

Just seeing it. The plot wasn't original but it was an overall good movie. It came out the same year as Goodfellas. Unfortunately you have to come with your A Game releasing a movie ( especially the same genre ) as Martin Scorsese. I loved it though. Goodfellow was better but not by much!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

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S K

Fairly entertaining with a solid cast - but undermined by a way over the top acting performance (bordering on satire) by one of my favourites, Gary Oldman.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/16/24

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Mark P

One of the most underrated gangster movies of the last 40 years. It is a must watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/07/24

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Lorenz L

I confess: I am an Art House junkie, and contemporary crime/action flicks usually aren’t my thing (while I can appreciate their contributions to the genre, I don’t even enjoy classics like “The Godfather” and “The French Connection”). But this grabbed me the first time I saw it in 1990, and now – 35 years later – it still holds up. Was Sean Penn ever that young? He was, and spectacularly so, and continues to be one of the greatest actors of his generation. As is widely mentioned, this is a break-out film for Gary Oldman, who tears into the excellent screen play like a rabid dog. Robin Wright is stunningly torn between her brothers’ crime syndicate activities and trying to break out of Hell’s Kitchen. Another newcomer – John C. Reiley – delivers a knockout performance in his second film. Hell, we even get Burgess Meredith, who moved from Broadway to film in 1936, in a moving cameo. Joanou’s direction is tight, and the cinematography perfectly captures the underbelly of Manhattan, where I lived at the time it was filmed. It really did look like that. What grabs my gut from the first frame, however, is Ennio Morricone’s melancholic, eerie, jazz-influenced score. I still have the CD of the soundtrack. This is an underrated gem and deserves to be seen. It will stick with you, as it has with me for 35 years.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Eddie T

2 hours of terrible! Unlikeable characters, especially Oldman.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/17/24

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Horacio P

One of the best gangster movie ever. Great cast, acting at their very best but is Gary Oldman the one who stole the movie. Best acting of his career. A must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

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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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