State of Grace (film)
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| State of Grace | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover |
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| Directed by | Phil Joanou |
| Produced by | Ned Dowd Randy Ostrow Ron Rotholz |
| Written by | Dennis McIntyre |
| Starring | Sean Penn Ed Harris Gary Oldman Robin Wright John Turturro |
| Music by | Original Music: Ennio Morricone Non-Original Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
| Cinematography | Jordan Cronenweth |
| Editing by | Claire Simpson |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 14, 1990 |
| Running time | 134 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
State of Grace is a neo-noir[1] crime film released in 1990. It was directed by Phil Joanou and written by Dennis McIntyre.[2]
The film was executive produced by Ned Dowd, Randy Ostrow, and Ron Rotholz and feaures original music by Ennio Morricone.
The motion picture was shot on location in New York City.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
In the film "the Westies" are Irish-American gangsters operating in the section of New York City, west of Times Square, known as Hell's Kitchen. When their territory is threatened by gentrification, the boss, Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris) tries to arrange an alliance with the Italian Mafia, their long-time rivals.
Frankie welcomes back Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) to the neighborhood and into his organization after a long absence. Unknown to the gang, however, during his time away, Terry has become a police officer in Boston. He's been brought back to New York specifically to go undercover in his old neighborhood and bring down the Irish gangsters before they strike a deal with the Italian-Americans.
[edit] Exhibition and box office
Tagline: The Irish Mob in New York.
The film was released in a limited basis on September 14, 1990. The box office receipts the first week were $179,927 (14 screens).[3]
According to "The Numbers" web site the total box office sales were a disaster. The film was only in circulation a few weeks and appeared in 335 screens in its widest release. Receipts for the run were $1,911,542.[4]
Roger Ebert believes the difficulty State of Grace had at the box office was due to other films with the same themes being released the same year and, like Goodfellas, at about the same time.
The oher gangster films released in Hollywood during the year include: Miller's Crossing and the Godfather Part III.[5]
[edit] Critical reception
The film was generally well received by film critics. Janet Maslin writing 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, hampered only by a taste for hackneyed elements and an overdeveloped sense of style." Maslin was appreciative of the acting in the film. She writes, "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, who is played by Ed Harris with an eeriness to match Mr. Oldman's."[6]
Film critic Vincent Leo lauds the work of actor Sean Penn. He writes, "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."[7]
The Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert was also impressed by the acting. He wrote, "Gary Oldman's performance in the movie is the best thing about it...Oldman's character is more pure. He acts only on the basis of his instincts and prejudices, or out of vengeance and fear."[8]
Currently, the film has a 87% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on fifteen reviews.[9]
[edit] Cast and ratings
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Australia: | R |
| Finland: | K-16 |
| France: | -12 |
| Germany: | 18 |
| Ireland: | 18 |
| Norway: | Banned |
| Singapore: | M18 |
| Spain: | 18 |
| Sweden: | 15 |
| United Kingdom: | 18 |
| United States: | R |
- Sean Penn as Terry Noonan
- Ed Harris as Frankie Flannery
- Gary Oldman as Jackie Flannery
- Robin Wright Penn as Kathleen Flannery
- John Turturro as Nick
- John C. Reilly as Stevie McGuire
- R.D. Call as Pat Nicholson, Frankie's Lt.
- 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
[edit] Soundtrack
The original music soundtrack was released on October 1, 1990 by MCA.
The CD has eighteen tracks, is 52:29 in length, and features the original score composed for the film scored by Ennio Morricone.
[edit] Other songs in the film
In the scene where Jackie introduces his girlfriend to Terry, the song "Trip Through Your Wires" by the band U2 can be heard playing in the background. This song and the song "Exit," both are cuts from The Joshua Tree (1987) album and are also played in the trailer for the film. Director Phil Joanou previously directed U2's live concert documentary U2: Rattle and Hum (1988) and, later, their music video for the single "One" (1992).
[edit] Quotes
- Terry Noonan: So we're like Robin Hood in this instance?
- Jackie Flannery: Yea and I'm Friar Fuck.
- Jackie Flannery: Hey. I love the noises Irene makes in bed, man.
- Terry: Me too!
- Frankie: If she thinks I'm a piece of shit, what, in the long run, is she gonna make of you?"
- Frankie: The whole fuckin' neighbourhood better get ready to duck.
[edit] Miscellaneous
The film is quite racy and the word "fuck" and its derivatives are used approximately 210 times in the film, which averages out to 1.5 times every minute.
[edit] See also
- The Westies: Irish-American organized crime gang in Hell's Kitchen, New York.
[edit] References
- ^ Silver, Alain and Elizabeth Ward. Film Noir: An Ecyclopedic Reference to the American Style, 3rd Edition, The Overlook Press, Woodstock, New York: 1992. "Filmography of neo-noir," page 438.
- ^ State of Grace at the Internet Movie Database].
- ^ Box Office Mojo box office data.
- ^ The Numbers box office data.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. The Chicago Sun-Times, film review, September 14, 1990.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. The New York Times, film review, September 14, 1990.
- ^ Leo, Vincent. Qwipster, film review.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Film review, ibid.
- ^ State of Grace at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: 1/20/07.
