State of Grace (1990)

They just don't make 'em like this anymore. It's a statement film lovers kick around in relation to the Golden Age "studio era" and to the hallowed '70s but also increasingly about films of a more recent vintage. At age 25, the neo-gangster picture State of Grace doesn't seem so terribly old, and yet it's all but inconceivable that a studio would fund and release a picture like it in wide release, despite its trade in once-familiar tropes. The mid-budget crime drama (not to mention the "thriller") may not have quite gone the way of the Western yet—for now, it's gone the way of straight-to-DVD, BD, and V.O.D. with the occasional wide-release exception (say, John Wick) that proves the rule.

State of Grace ressurects the Angels with Dirty Faces archetype that has recurred in noirs and crime dramas (including six years after State of Grace, in Sleepers) ever since: two young friends diverge in a hood, one becoming a gangster and the other a cop (in Angels with Dirty Faces, it was a gangster and a priest, but you get the idea). Here, the friends are Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) and Jackie Flannery (Gary Oldman, in one of his earliest American roles)

Aspect ratios: 1.85:1 Number of discs: 1 Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Street date: 6/8/2015 Distributor:

audio commentary with director Phil Joanou and film historian Nick Redman

"Theatrical Trailer" (, HD)

Review gear:

• Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 55" Plasma 1080p 3D HDTV
• Oppo BDP-93 Universal Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
• Denon AVR2112CI Integrated Network A/V Surround Receiver
• Pioneer SP-BS41-LR Bookshelf Speaker (2)
• Pioneer SP-C21 Center Speaker
• Pioneer SW-8 Subwoofer