State of Grace (1990)
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An undercover cop returns to his old neighborhood and finds himself entangled in the violent world of an Irish crime organization.
The story
Irish-American Terry Noonan returns to Hell's Kitchen in New York City after a long absence, where his unpredictable childhood friend Jackie Flannery is involved in an Irish crime organization run by older brother Frank. Terry rekindles an old relationship with Jackie's sister Kathleen. However, Terry is actually an undercover cop. He confesses his identity to Kathleen, who is reluctant to associate with him after being told by Frank that Terry is a gang member who killed two people. Terry explains the killings were staged by his police boss using blanks, but the tension between his undercover duty and his personal ties creates a volatile situation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Irish-American Terry Noonan returns to Hell's Kitchen in New York City after a long absence, where his childhood friend Jackie Flannery is involved in an Irish crime organization run by his older brother Frank. Terry rekindles a relationship with Jackie's sister Kathleen. Terry is actually an undercover cop and confesses this to Kathleen, who is wary of him because Frank claims Terry killed two people. Terry explains the killings were staged by his boss, Nick, using blanks. Jackie kills three members of a rival Italian gang who intrude on their territory. Consequently, Frank is ordered by Italian Mafia boss Joe Borelli to kill Jackie. Frank manages to avert a shootout with the Italians by hugging the leader in public. Frank then tricks Jackie into going to Pier 84 to collect a 'reward' from the Italians. Terry accompanies Jackie as secret backup, but Frank arrives with an enforcer and shoots Jackie in cold blood. The police arrive, and Terry tells Nick he is quitting as an undercover operative. At Jackie's funeral, Terry reveals his true identity to Frank and hands him his police badge. Later, Terry visits the bar where Frank and his gang are gathered. In a final shootout, Terry kills Frank and all of his men. Having been shot three times, Terry slumps to the floor as the screen fades to black.
- Original title
- Westies
- First release year
- 1990
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Phil Joanou
- Writers
- Dennis McIntyre · writer; Dennis McIntyre · screenwriter
- Cast and characters
- Sean Penn · Terry Noonan; Ed Harris · Frank; Gary Oldman · Jackie Flannery; Robin Wright · Kathleen; John Turturro; John C. Reilly
- Genres
- neo-noir; crime drama
- Themes
- betrayal; identity; crime; fratricide
- Tone and mood
- neo-noir; tense; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- gangster; undercover; Irish-American; crime
- Source material / true-story basis
- Inspired by the real-life Hell's Kitchen gang, the Westies
- Reception
- The film was generally well received by critics, despite not being a box office success. It was recognized as a cult classic and praised for its ensemble cast and performances.
- Production trivia
- Dennis Hopper was originally signed to direct the film under the title Westies.; Orion Pictures wanted to change the title to Hell's Kitchen, but Phil Joanou fought for State of Grace.; Leonardo DiCaprio cited Gary Oldman's performance as one of his inspirations.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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