State of Grace
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Movie Reviews of State of Grace
Movie Review: Powerful
Summary: 5 Stars
Although crude in several places... this movie was powerful. Acting is superb... Keeps your attention until the very end...Movie Review: Don't hesitate !
Summary: 5 Stars
Killer movie-must have,look @ the cast & imagine them @ their best.Need I say more?Movie Review: A Mobster's Homecoming
Summary: 4 Stars
At the outset, I will concede that I've never been really big on mob movies. They're OK I guess, but they've never been at the top of my list of favorite genres. That said, this is one of my favorite mob movies of the limited number of mob films I've seen in my life.
Sean Penn portrays a Boston police officer [Terry] who is called back to his hometown of New York City to assist with an NYPD Special Investigations Unit. More specifically, he is asked to go undercover in the Irish quadrant of the city, known as the Hell's Kitchen.
He is given the task of spying on his old friends of the Flannery clan. Ed Harris plays Frankie Flannery, the head of an Irish mob outfit in the Kitchen. Gary Oldman plays Jackie Flannery, Frankie's impulsive, violence-prone loose cannon of a brother.
Robin Wright Penn portrays Kate, the sister of the Flannery brothers. She is most well known for being Sean Penn's wife (although I'm unsure whether they were married yet when this film was made) and for starring in The Princess Bride (Special Edition). Kate has always done her best to escape the life of being the sister to criminals, but feels that with Terry's return she is being sucked back into the affairs of the Kitchen.
All through the storyline, there are hints that the Irish mob used to be far more powerful & autonomous than it is these days. Also, the Hell's Kitchen was much more "pure" Irish, but over time the percentage of Irishmen in the Kitchen has declined, and the Irish mob's power has eroded along with this decline. So much as changed, in fact, that Flannery's outfit these days is the mob world's equivalent of a "subcontractor" to an Italian mob outfit. This, of course, sparks all sorts of resentment and minor turf battles that have the propensity of churning out tragic outcomes.
As a sidenote, in this story Ed Harris & Gary Oldman play brothers. They would both go on to individually portray the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Oldman plays the musician in Immortal Beloved while Harris plays Beethoven in the recent Copying Beethoven. That both actors can play in a mob movie and turn around & play the same historical figure (very well on both accounts, I may add!) is a testimony to the acting prowess of both.
The present film is directed by Philip Jounou, who also directed U2's film U2 - Rattle and Hum. John Turtorro frequently shows up in mob movies, and in this one he is a cop instead of a mobster. One can't question the competency of the cast overall as it is top-notch. If you like mob movies at all, or if you have a single drop of Irish blood in your veins, then I would highly recommend this film. If neither of the above applies to you, I still this film would be worth a viewing.
Movie Review: A Turning Point in Gangster Movies
Summary: 4 Stars
I first seen this movie soon after it was released (VHS) and was very impressed considering most people hadn't heard of it. It was refreashing to see a director who finally wanted to make a movie about the Irish Mob, who afterall were the longest established organised crime group in NY. I strongly disagree with a reviewer from Medford, NY who described Oldman's character as somewhat over the top. In my opinion, this is Oldman's finest performance to date! Having read many books on the Westside Irish Mob (as they refered to themselves) including The Westies by T.J English, Oldman brought the real life character Mickey Featherstone to life on our screens in Oscar style fashion! Believe me , these characters are not your average Italian style gangster; slick-back hair, well dressed killers. Most of these men had no such delusions of grandeuer when it came to how they looked. Many were hard drinking heroin addicts who if hadn't been shot, would have killed themselves anyway! These story lines have a much harder edge than your average Italian/Jewish gangster film because of a notorious drug and drinking culture that the other two etnic crime groups considered to be sloppy and unprofessional. Other films such as Southie have tackled these issues also, portraying a family from the projects coming to terms with alcoholism, drug abuse and gun culture. Don't get me wrong, I love Goodfellas and The Godfather but you have to admit, you won't beat the Irish when it comes to telling a story with typically unique ingredients. Jonau, indeed, could have been far more brutal in his portrayal of these men. Storys of a victem's head being taken on a pub crawl of the westside are now legendary. Ed Harris and Sean Penn turn in fantastic performances also, but Gary Oldman steals the show. I couldn't believe it when I found out shortly after watching the movie that Oldman is infact English. His portrayal of what is generally accepted to be Mickey Featherstone, is awsome! Those of you used to your typical Italian gangster movie be prepared for a crash landing into the world of psycotic, alcoholic, drug addicted killers! No dyed hair and flashy suits here! Just cold blooded, knee jerk reaction murder!Movie Review: Great film
Summary: 4 Stars
I have never understood why this film did not get better billing considering the outstanding job the director and strong cast do in telling a rather predictable tale of betrayal and revenge. I have seen it a number of times and have never tired of it. Harris is simply superb as the cold, menacing boss of the gang. The best scene is when he literally spits venom in one scene towards the end of the film. Garry Oldman, gives his best performances since "Sid & Nancy", while Sean Penn also gives one of his most credible, but not best, performances. Thats only because Penn's audience has come to expect such high standards of him however. I thought the actors playing the other mobsters were also very good, especially Harris's thick necked enforcer. Robin Wright gives a performance that generates genuine empathy for her tragic character, who caught in the middle of this drama. There are a number of surprise performances as well. All in all, a great film, with brilliant directing and cinematography that is long over-due on the DVD format. Highly recommended.