MovieChat Forums > State of Grace (1990) Discussion > one of the worst movies

one of the worst movies

posted 16 years ago by neeraj-14
36 replies | jump to latest

This is a very bad movie. stay away from it. unless you are into gangster movies and you can watch movies just for the sake of it being a gangster movie.
whole scenarios in the movie borders on the implausible right from the start that Noonan can mix with Frankie's gang without Frankie knowing him or suspecting him to be a cop. Everything in the movie seems to be so phony and just put in the movie for the sake of making a movie. Noonan could not witness Jackie getting murdered beacuse at the exact minute he was busy leaving a massage. how convenient for the film maker.
A ruthless mob boss who kills people on the drop of a hat is seen trashing a bar and bullying a bar owner for just 900 bucks. And to top it he is not even successful at that.
In the last scene a big goof: Noonan fires only a single shot at Frankie, frankie is hit on the forehead, in this scene blood oozes out of his back, his suit is shown to be ripped off the back, but there is no bullet entry wound on his front. also if you slow motion that shot it is apparent that Ed Harris is hit by red paint on his forehead.
Also I noticed a lot of posters keep on referring to some book upon which this movie is supposed to be based upon. Are we supposed to first read the book and then watch the movie? A good book can not justify a bad movie.

[–] LarryIrwin 13 years ago

just watched it. i agree. bad movie.

robin wright and gary oldman's character.. very irritating. poor directing, a lot of worthless scenes. compare gangster films. this and miller's crossing.. this film is kissing miller's crossing foot.

it's just as bad as those spacecrafts crew in sci fi films act so irrational.

[–] bear022013-588-696101 12 years ago

What?This is a fine film.

[–] Frieferskumski 12 years ago

The OP hit the nail directly on the head of this movie, it is so unbelievable from the very beginning and it doesn't get any more realistic as it moves on to it's bitter end.

The OP said, "whole scenarios in the movie borders on the implausible right from the start that Noonan can mix with Frankie's gang without Frankie knowing him or suspecting him to be a cop. Everything in the movie seems to be so phony and just put in the movie for the sake of making a movie."

And I say: +1

[–] corsi71inc 10 years ago

Calling this movie 'unbelievable' and 'implausible' just destroys the foundation of your entire post. This story is based on real life people and real events. If you knew anything about New York City in the 70s - 80s, you would know about the West Side Irish. Many of the moments that you call "just put in the movie for the sake of making a movie" ACTUALLY happened. You can argue whether it makes for a compelling movie, but you can't really argue the reality. It's like calling out Titanic for being unbelievable.

And maybe you don't know from or understand either childhood friendships OR criminal enterprises based in neighborhoods. Do you think that these guys have résumés? Do they Google search each other? No. Jackie trusts Terry from the get-go because they grew up together, from childhood to young adulthood (Terry says he left to join the Marines, so they had to be at least 18 when still best friends). And please note that Frankie had Terry followed, as well as getting his 'backstory' corroborated as best he could.

Like it or don't; no big deal. But don't cut a movie down for the things that you are ignorant of.

1. Being moody.
2. Being bad at maths.
3. Being sad.

[–] rabiolc72 12 years ago

Okay here's the thing that I have an issue with. I understand if you don't like it, trust me I have a strong, STRONG distaste for mob movies of any kind. I understand if you think that some things seem contrived but seriously disliking this so much you tell people not to see it? Like I said I am NOT a fan of mob movies but every time I decide I've had enough, I pop this in my DVD player and I have trouble tearing myself away. It's not a happy movie by any means, which I tend to gravitate towards but it is very well written and acted, it sucks you right in and very, very few of my favorite movies have the ability to do it as well as this movie.

[–] jgeorgel 11 years ago

I agree. One of the worst movies I've ever wasted my time watching.

[–] hexedd 11 years ago

I agree with the OP. You hit the nail on the head with "implausible." When watching a movie you are expected to suspend your disbelief. In movies like Harry Potter that's easy, but in films like State of Grace which portray themselves as realistic gangster stories, you expect the plot to make sense. This one was a total mess. None of the key elements of the plot were realistic or plausible. This was a waste of time and pales in comparison to movies like Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco. The only reason to like this movie is if your favourite genre is gangster films and you like to see movies with a high body count and lots of violence. Otherwise, this is a total pass, and I can see now why it is never replayed on T.V. often like Goodfellas or the Godfather series.

[–] Toby_gibson002 11 years ago

'The book' might be "The Westies" by T.J. English, which I'm certain this was roughly based on. I read a lot on many topics including organized crime, and that was one of the better ones, along with Tony Rafael's "The Mexican Mafia".