Taglines: The Irish mob in Hell’s Kitchen.
State of Grace movie storyline. Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) returns to Hell’s Kitchen in New York City after a 10-year absence, where his unpredictable childhood friend Jackie Flannery (Gary Oldman) is involved in an Irish crime organization (based on The Westies) run by his older brother Frank/Frankie (Ed Harris). Terry also rekindles an old relationship with Jackie’s sister Kathleen (Robin Wright).
Terry is actually working as an undercover cop, and confesses it to Kathleen, who is reluctant to have anything to do with him after being told by her brother Frank that he is now a member of his gang for killing two people, although he explains it was staged with his undercover boss Nick (Turturro), firing only blanks.
Jackie is drinking in a bar one night when three members of a rival Italian gang enter. He snaps, and ends up killing all three for intruding on his gang’s territory; he also suspects their involvement in the killing of his friend, Stevie (Reilly). Soon Frank is summoned to a meeting by the Italian Mafia boss Borelli and is instructed to kill his brother Jackie, who has become a “thorn” in “our side”. Frank has told Jackie to lie in wait in case the meeting goes wrong and becomes a hit, and only manages to avert a war by hugging the Italian leader outside the restaurant in full view of his gang, causing them to retreat.
Frank arranges for Jackie to collect $25,000 after lying to him that the Italians are actually supporting them and that this is their reward, telling him to go to Battery Park. Terry tags along as Jackie’s secret backup, finding that the location has been changed to Pier 84. As they wait at Pier 84, Frank arrives with his top enforcer Pat Nicholson (Call) just as Terry has stepped away to frantically phone his handlers to inform them that they have been sent to the wrong location. Frank fatally shoots and kills Jackie in cold blood. The police finally arrive and Terry tells Nick that he is quitting as an undercover operative.
State of Grace is a 1990 American neo-noir crime film directed by Phil Joanou and starring Sean Penn, Ed Harris and Gary Oldman, also featuring Robin Wright, John Turturro, and John C. Reilly. Written by playwright Dennis McIntyre, the film was executive-produced by Ned Dowd, Randy Ostrow, and Ron Rotholz, with a musical score by Ennio Morricone.
Although the film was not a box office success and its release overshadowed by that of the similarly-themed Goodfellas, it was received positively by most critics. Shot on location in New York City, the film was inspired by the real-life Hell’s Kitchen gang The Westies.
State of Grace (1990)
Directed by: Phil Joanou
Starring: Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, John Turturro, Burgess Meredith, Joe Viterelli, Deirdre O’Connell, John C. Reilly, Marco St. John
Screenplay by: Dennis McIntyre
Production Design by: Doug Kraner, Patrizia von Brandenstein
Cinematography by: Jordan Cronenweth
Film Editing by: Claire Simpson
Costume Design by: Aude Bronson-Howard
Set Decoration by: George DeTitta Sr.
Art Direction by: Tim Galvin, Shawn Hausman
Music by: Ennio Morricone
Distributed by: Orion Pictures
Release Date: September 14, 1990
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