State of Grace - 5 stars out of 10

State of Grace - 5 stars out of 10

"State of Grace" is often overshadowed by another mob film that came out at the same time: "Goodfellas."  While this film really can't compare to Scorsese's film (and at times felt like a cheap Godfather rip-off), it offers unforgettable performances by Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, and Sean Penn (in that order).  Oldman is absolutely insane in one of his best roles, perfecting the New York accent and making me question whether he was actually drunk or sober during the shoot.  Harris is frightening and again makes a case for being one of the most underrated performers of his generation.  Finally, Penn's internal struggles breathe life into this film as he plays well off of Turturro and Penn.  I had high hopes for the film after the fire scene, but the two hours that follow that scene were two of the longest of my life.  The action and blood are decent until an awkward slow-motion shootout in tandem with a St. Patty's Day Parade.  Regarding the film score, I typically love soundtracks written by Ennio Morricone (The Mission, Legend of 1900) but I did not care for his instrumental themes at all in this film.  Great performances + decent story + poor editing that made the film 135 minutes long = no comparison to Goodfellas.