"State of Grace" is not one of those films that I would consider ageless or that seem to mellow with age, like "Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo" or "2001: A Space Odyssey." It has an impressive roster of talented actors in early roles, but that may be a two-edged sword, as viewed for the first time in 2017, they serve as constant reminders of how old the film really is. By contemporary standards, the pace seems slow, with too much emotion and not enough action. It lacks the eye candy of contemporary films, such as elaborate fights, pyrotechnics, white-knuckle car chases, parkour acrobatics, etc. The gun battles seem of the caliber of episodic television series, at least until the final slow-mo scene. After cruising along in second gear for nearly two hours, the climax seems rushed, propelled by new information from who knows where. The fade-out as denouement leaves the audience uncertain, not only as to the fate of several principal characters, but also as to the meaning of it all. What lesson did the protagonist learn and what insight is the audience supposed to take away and apply to their own lives?
While the film is definitely worth viewing, I also felt somehow disappointed. Yes, filmmakers needed to go there to get to where they are now, but it would have been so much better if they could have somehow jumped ahead a quarter of a century and adopted contemporary techniques.
While the film is definitely worth viewing, I also felt somehow disappointed. Yes, filmmakers needed to go there to get to where they are now, but it would have been so much better if they could have somehow jumped ahead a quarter of a century and adopted contemporary techniques.