State of Grace Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

State of Grace Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 15, 2015

State of Grace opened in September 1990, but it soon found itself subsumed by two later crime oriented films which opened in its wake, GoodFellas (which debuted a mere few days after State of Grace) and The Godfather: Part III (which came along as a “festive” Christmastime release). A salient plot point in State of Grace dealing with how to handle an “off the reservation” member of a crime family may actually remind some viewers of The Godfather: Part II. Playing at times like a nineties’ reboot of tropes that were utilized long ago in old Warner Brothers crime extravaganzas, State of Grace offers showcases for a coterie of fine performers including Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, John Turturro and Robin Wright. Though it ultimately opts for some fairly traditional plot machinations, the film is long on mood, with a gritty urban ambience that elevates some of the more predictable story elements.

Jackie (Gary Oldman) and Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris) are well ensconced in an Irish crime family in Hell’s Kitchen. When old buddy Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) shows up after a long absence, he’s welcomed back into the fold, though it turns out Terry is actually one of the good guys, an undercover cop who has been sent into this den of thieves. Terry develops a romantic relationship with the Flannery brothers’ sister Kathleen (Robin Wright). John Turturro is on hand as Terry’s superior, a guy who engages in a bit of subterfuge to develop Terry’s “street cred” as a gangster. Probably more effective as a character piece than as a traditional crime thriller, State of Grace features an almost frighteningly feral performance by Oldman, who walks away with the film despite the competition from such stalwarts as John C. Reilly and Burgess Meredith.

State of Grace Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

State of Grace is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is a generally very organic looking transfer, though one that has a rather heavy grain field, one that tends to mask both detail and fine detail in midrange shots (see screenshot 6) and even in close-ups. The film has a lot of rather dark or dimly lit sequences, and many of those scenes suffer from somewhat anemic shadow detail. The palette is healthy looking, with flesh tones appearing accurate and the exterior locations offering a suitably grimy look. The grain field, while very heavy, resolves naturally and there are no compression issues to warrant concern.

State of Grace Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

State of Grace's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track springs to most life when Ennio Morricone's excellent score plays underneath various scenes. The rest of this mix tends to hover more in the center channel than the side or rears, but fidelity and prioritization are both excellent. Dialogue is very cleanly presented and there are no problems of any kind to warrant concern.

State of Grace Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary features director Phil Joanou hosted by Twilight Time's Nick Redman.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (480i; 1:32)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)

State of Grace Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Performances are the chief allure of State of Grace, and there are a glut of fantastic ones in this film. The actual plot machinations become increasingly familiar as the film proceeds, but director Phil Joanou paces things very well, leading to the almost Hamlet-esque body count by the time the film comes to its tragic close. Technical merits are very good and Joanou's commentary is very interesting. Recommended.