State of Grace (1990)

	Directed by: Phil Joanou	COUNTRY USA GENRE Neo-noir/Crime/Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Helvetes forgård RUNNING TIME 134 minutes
	Produced by: Ned Dowd Randy Ostrow Ron Rotholz
	Written by: Dennis McIntyre

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Terry Noonan	Sean Penn
Frankie Flannery	Ed Harris
Jackie Flannery	Gary Oldman	½
Kathleen Flannery	Robin Wright	½
Detective Nick Richardson	John Turturro	-
Finn	Burgess Meredith	-
Pat Nicholson	R.D. Call	½
Joe Borelli	Joe Viterelli
Stevie McGuire	John C. Reilly

Review

This crime/gangster story set in contemporary Hell's Kitchen, New York, boasts a wonderful cast: Ed Harris plays a no-nonsense crime boss, Gary Oldman is his unruly younger brother, Robin Penn plays their sister eager to start a better life, and Sean Penn is the troubled old family friend who returns to the area after several years. You may recognise some genre tropes and perhaps even predict a narrative twist or two, but you may also find yourself absorbed by the moody atmosphere created by director Phil Joanou and composer Ennio Morricone. Joanou demonstrates his music video background, as he lets his camera glide through the streets of Hell's Kitchen capturing a sense of melancholy determinism. The story ultimately homes in on the power balance between the Flannery family's gang and a rival Italian gang in the area, but it is as an intense character study that State of Grace remains truly interesting throughout, highlighted by Gary Oldman's energetic, virtuoso performance – you just can't take your eyes off him. He is perfectly balanced by Sean Penn's introspective Terry and his bout with some inner demons. State of Grace was not successful at the box office, which arguably had as much to do with it coinciding with the release of Goodfellas as with the quality of the film itself. It holds up solidly and certainly remains Joanou's magnum opus.