Written by playwright Dennis McIntyre, the film was produced by Ned Dowd, Randy Ostrow, and Ron Rotholz, with a musical score by Ennio Morricone.

Irish-American Terry Noonan returns to Hell's Kitchen in New York City after a long absence, where his unpredictable childhood friend Jackie Flannery is involved in an Irish crime organization run by older brother Frank.

Frank has told his men to lie in wait in case the meeting goes wrong, and manages to avert a shoot out by hugging the Italian leader outside the restaurant in full view of the gang, causing them to retreat.

As they wait at Pier 84, Frank arrives with his enforcer Pat Nicholson just as Terry has stepped away to frantically phone his police handlers to inform them that they have been sent to the wrong location.

[3] Ebert believed the difficulty State of Grace had at the box office was due to another film with the same theme being released the same week, Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.

The consensus summarizes: "State of Grace brings an impressive ensemble cast to bear on its epic gangster saga, elevating a largely familiar story with outstanding performances.

"[5] Janet Maslin, film critic for The New York Times, wrote, "Mr. Joanou attempts to capture the sense of place that defines urban crime, and the ethnic and territorial distinctions that give it shape.

Maslin praised Oldman and Harris, writing, "Jackie Flannery is played by the phenomenal Gary Oldman, who since Sid and Nancy has taken on a string of new accents and dramatic identities with stunning ease", and "Jackie's icy older brother ... is played by Ed Harris with an eeriness to match Mr.