State of Grace

A film set in Hell's Kitchen in New York. Terry comes back to the neighbourhood after twelve years. He tells nobody where he has been and falls in with his old friends. Jackie takes him back at once. They have been friends since childhood and he is genuinely glad to have found him. Frankie runs the neighbourhood. Jackie's older brother leads the gang, does business with the Italian families, and treats the district like a company. Kathleen is their sister. She has got out, built another life, and does not want to come back; she and Terry were together once. Terry is in fact a policeman. He is undercover and his purpose is to bring Frankie down. From there the film is a story of infiltration. A round of collections, a killing, a meeting and a recorder. The trouble is Jackie. He does not follow the rules, behaves without control, and becomes a burden to his brother. Terry becomes attached to him. He is caught between doing his job and protecting his friend. What the narrative is interested in is not crime but a neighbourhood: the film describes Hell's Kitchen changing, the Irish community breaking up, and how much of the old is left. Frankie's line is its coldest. He sees his own brother as an item in an account. Gary Oldman's performance carries the film. The character is constantly in motion and safe in no scene. The finale takes place during a parade. The shooting breaks out while the Saint Patrick's Day procession continues, and the scene is deliberately built inside a carnival. The music is by Ennio Morricone. Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman and Robin Wright are in the cast. Phil Joanou directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes 1990s crime films and character-led gang narratives. Who it is not for: anyone looking for pace; the film runs past two hours and the middle section moves heavily.