Review of State of Grace (1990) by Dustin G — 04 Feb 2010
A solid gangster pic that had the extreme misfortune to be released the same year as Goodfellas, and therefore forgotten upon release. But the Goodfellas dust has settled, sort of, and people can revisit this and see a gritty, hard nosed story of the irish mob in New York's Hell's Kitchen. It certainly borrows heavily from its predecessors. Gary Oldman's Jackie character is a carbon copy of Robert De Niro's Johnny Boy from Mean Streets, for example and the woman torn between the man she loves and the choices he makes as a criminal is certainly nothing new (Diane Keaton's Kay from The Godfather films, anyone?).
Some great camera work in the final showdown sequence is a highlight though. As is the dialogue and acting.
Not one of cinema's all time great gangster pics, but a fine entry in the genre and a showcase of great performances.
This review of State of Grace (1990) was written by Dustin G on 04 Feb 2010.
State of Grace has generally received positive reviews.
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