This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Excellent but underrated film

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Certainly one of, if not THE, most overrated film on IMDb, it's so far from being "the best gangster movie ever made" and "an undiscovered gem," it leaves me uncertain whether to laugh or puke. Basically what it is is a Bad Acting Olympics, in which two puerile hams chew scenery, props, costumes and would have finished the camera if left to their own ways. I refer to Gary Oldman, who clearly knows better, and the god-awful Sean Penn, who clearly doesn't. Penn blubbers and weeps and shrieks and curses his way through an overly-convoluted plot whose subplots keep canceling each other out, as (SPOILER) an undercover cop trying to get into an Irish mob comprised mainly of his old friends. Scorsese covered much the same in "The Departed," which was infinitely better than this twaddle. If Penn isn't moping or weeping or shouting, Oldman is (whoever put THEM in the same movie?) while now and then Robin Wright goes all Joan Crawford as well. Only Ed Harris emerges with dignity intact. Terrible phony gunfight at end comes from nowhere, director has no idea what he's doing, cop subplot simply trickles out. People who praise this belong in a special room in hell with admirers of "Patch Adams" and "Scent of a Woman."

State of grace, the morning after. This movie was sort of a surprise for me I looked at its cast and IMDb rating and wondered if I had missed a gem, I had. I went into this movie having read or heard very little of its plot, but I caught onto it right away and predicted the twists and turns well before they were laying their foundations. It's not a complicated movie and it certainly isn't a bad movie. That being said the actors were trying to capture the insanity and volatility of Irish gangsters of the era and I think that save for a few over acted scenes, (OK a lot of over acted scenes) they did that. Something we forget on our journeys thru these films of old (I was born in the years this film was being made) is something that my parents reminded me of: it's a very good movie for the era and for what it is. The characters are relatable and the cast is well picked. As far as directing/writing goes I think that there could have been slightly stronger character and plot development considering the length of the movie and especially between the characters that have a relationship previous to what we see. All in all there were very few disappointments It will always be hard for me to dislike a Gary Oldman movie. Gary Oldman as ever took a challenging role and worked with it. But it was an unnatural role for almost anyone to play so even the great Gary Oldman, falls off here and there. I found myself wondering when his scenes would end and this is something I usually reserve for Hollywood model/actors like Megan Fox. Sean Penn is an actor whose brilliance I usually have a hard time seeing until I think of his work as a whole in a film. This movie was an exception I enjoyed his work from beginning to end. Penn was one of the offending parties in the aforementioned "over acted" scenes but really that's a part of his acting style. And at the end of the movie, thinking it over I gained a little bit of respect for him as an actor. Ed Harris wasn't really playing a role that sits at the forefront of the film but he is the antagonist and I think for that he did great, maintaining a steady character thru the entire movie. Finally, as with any John Turturro movie he left me wanting more. I personally think that Turturro made very few bad movies. His character in this film embodies his acting very well as he is an actor that can be trusted with a simple role without over complicating it. no, I did not cover the entire cast in this review nor did i write the storyline out for all to read, it just is not complicated enough a film to do so. To explain any aspects would leave the reader watching thru major parts of the film already aware of what is happening. This is my first posted review. I hope I did OK! And thanks for taking the time to read.

This film has one of the best star casts of the 90s - Sean Penn, Gary Oldman and Ed Harris in the same movie as lead actors. Robin Wright Penn, John Turtoro, John.C.Reily and Burgess Meredith as supporting actors. The film is about a bunch of Irish gangsters trying to survive in a neighborhood controlled by Italians. Ed Harris and Gary Oldman play gangster brothers while Sean Penn is their friend who comes back to the neighborhood (though he is actually an undercover cop). It could have been one of the best films of the 90s. But the script is weak and the movie relies too much on the histrionics of the enormously talented star cast. There are many great moments mainly thanks to Gary Oldman's acting (he reminded me of Pacino in his later roles). Oldman and Penn are like these two giants who don't get in each others way. Its like each actor knows and respects the other and even though Oldman has all the great scenes, Penn is not upstaged.The background score is by Ennio Morricone. It is used very minimally. They mostly use songs by u2, The Pogues, Guns n Roses and the Rolling Stones. Morricone's score is brooding and melancholic and used to great effect in the final shootout.The film glorifies the Irish and their drinking and their madness and their rivalry with Italians and the writer also throws in some catholic guilt.At one point in the movie Sean Penn's character tells Robin Wright - "You believe... in angels or the saints or that there's such a thing as a state of grace and you believe it. But it's got nothing to do with reality. It's just an idea." I was reading A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN earlier this week and I came across the phrase STATE OF GRACE. This catholic priest is indoctrinating Stephen Dedalus and his mates. And he says the people whose souls are in a state of grace should lead the wavering poor souls back into a STATE OF GRACE.Anyway, the film seems to belittle such an idea, even though in the end Penn does set a lot of things right.

Just after watching this movie, I thought "How could I never heard of this one before?".This movie is awesome! With a great plot, great performances and casting. We have here one of Gary Oldman's finest performances. We can just blame the time of its release, that came along with Goodfellas and The Godfather Part III. But I tell you, this movie is far better than many gangster movies I have seen that are very respect, I won't tell names, but it is.Don't believe this IMDb rating, this movie is easily one of the best of its genre ever made.