This movie has a great concept, differentiating itself from other movies in the genre. Grace is known as a mythical drug, that is all but impossible to ever find. The capabilities of the drug are that of an increased level of consciousness within the human brain as never before. That is a great concept, and it is really interesting when Grace finally makes it's presence felt. The screen writing and direction of the film falls short however. The actors are amateurs, but I felt the main character delivered a worthy performance given the script to work with. The film obviously was made with a very low budget, but the idea is quite intriguing. This film still has potential if remade with a much larger budget, including some of the industry's highest talent of course. Overall 6 out of 10, not bad in any way, and the ending will add to the intrigue of the concept drug known as Grace.
12 Reviews
Interesting Premise
DenaliBear30 August 2004
After watching the film on DVD, I can't help but think how interesting the premise is and how I'd love to see this premise done on a much larger budget. I think some changes need to be made to the script, especially in ACT 1, but my attention was kept even though the film doesn't have the production touches that a bigger budget would allow for.
The acting isn't smooth in every scene, but the main character is good in spots. I also think the woman he loves did a very strong job.
I think the writer/director shows signs of talent, but I hope he sees this scripts shortcomings and gets rid of them in his next film by giving depth to every character and making sure the dialogue is tight.
The acting isn't smooth in every scene, but the main character is good in spots. I also think the woman he loves did a very strong job.
I think the writer/director shows signs of talent, but I hope he sees this scripts shortcomings and gets rid of them in his next film by giving depth to every character and making sure the dialogue is tight.
Why You Can't Trust The Internet
chivalry_is_dead20 May 2005
A couple months ago, a number of talkbackers on AICN were making lists of the top 10 twists in films ever. And for some reason, "Grace and the Storm" was listed on several of them. My only guess as to why is because it was the filmmakers, cast, those involved, and their friends and family making those comments.
Here is an incredibly derivative, poorly paced, badly edited, low budget, DV feature with not one good piece of dialogue. Not one well composed shot. Not one even halfway decent performance.
Had Jay Mohr actually played the lead role, it might've been somewhat better, but as he did not, we're left with amateur hour all the way.
As for the twist, it's on level with something I expect on cable. No I didn't see it coming, but it was hardly what I'd call earth shattering or worthy of even the top 1000 twists of all time.
The film is mediocrity epitomized.
Here is an incredibly derivative, poorly paced, badly edited, low budget, DV feature with not one good piece of dialogue. Not one well composed shot. Not one even halfway decent performance.
Had Jay Mohr actually played the lead role, it might've been somewhat better, but as he did not, we're left with amateur hour all the way.
As for the twist, it's on level with something I expect on cable. No I didn't see it coming, but it was hardly what I'd call earth shattering or worthy of even the top 1000 twists of all time.
The film is mediocrity epitomized.
Horrible!!!
trassalg16 March 2005
My summary says it all. This has to be one of the WORST films I've ever seen. And calling it a film solely for the medium it was shot on, presumably. The acting is unbelievably bad, as though they're a group of acting students who haven't bothered going to a single class (and of course, come to the table with no raw talent). The director could have done as good a job had he not shown up on set. It wouldn't have changed the performances one iota, nor were the images anything impressive.
All in all, I'd say if you consider spending an hour and a half watching this piece of crap, perhaps you'd be better off taking a nap, going to the gym, anything but wasting your time here.
All in all, I'd say if you consider spending an hour and a half watching this piece of crap, perhaps you'd be better off taking a nap, going to the gym, anything but wasting your time here.
Bittersweet, sometimes surreal tale about street life.
jimmiewing26 August 2004
Grace and the Storm is the story of one drug dealer racing for an escape from the New York City underground. His chance comes in the form of the legendary "Grace", a mysterious new drug that everybody wants and nobody has. The drug dealer's hard-boiled street adventures are balanced nicely with a bittersweet subplot concerning his ex-girlfriend, whom he watches over from time to time like a guardian angel. The story unfolds slowly but builds momentum after the intense "lab rat" scene, after which every new twist and turn seems to raise the stakes for Pipe. For the final half-hour, the audience is plunged into the high-stakes deal with the hero, and we can truly feel his desperation as the clock ticks. Writer-director Christopher Baldi (who also cameos towards the end) has a confident storytelling style that never relies on cheap effects or fast-paced editing tricks.
Abandon hope ye who want to watch it
zbytrek25 March 2007
IMDb got me fooled, or rather people voting on this garbage did it. I expected an independent production, expected some roughness etc. I saw a lot low-budget pictures but things I saw here were utterly horrible. poor acting, sound, screenplay and director. I could forgive some things, but this "production" claims to be something it isn't, I consider this unforgivable. In other words, it deserves 2 or 3, but seeing the current 7.5 (that fooled me) I decided to give it a boo and *1* What else to fill the minimum 10 lines required by this portal? I can say you who happen to read this, that it is my first time I ever decided to comment on anything here. I am more of a lurker but since I depend on this portal a lot and tend to read comments made by others I decided to write mine as well. Perhaps this will save someone some precious time, I hope it will.
You'll be addicted by the end!
vickievallencourt5 April 2004
there are so many reasons i loved this movie, the first would definitely be a fascinating story that sucked me in from the first scene. this film is about one character's search for a drug called "grace", which is something of an urban legend. i don't know if "grace" is based on a true story or not, but i would sure love to find out, not that i have any experience in anything like that. ;) i also loved the performances of the actors and actresses, all of which gave dedicated performances, with lots of memorable lines. fianlly, i should mention the unforgettable soundtrack, a superb mix of modern rock and industrial-style dance tracks. every song used seems to fit the story perfectly. catch "grace and the storm" if you can- you'll be addicted by the end!
I was hooked on Grace!
groundskeepercarlspackler1 March 2004
Christopher Amitrano plays Evan Piper, a big-city drug dealer who is approached by an old friend pushing a legendary drug called "GRACE." With the discovery of the GRACE comes a chance to retire from his dangerous line of work forever. The history of this amazing drug is very interesting, and it sets up a great backstory before the real plot even begins to twist and turn. Pipe is a great character, he's smart and charismatic but also believable as a criminal. KC Armstrong, who most people know as one of Howard Stern's regulars, actually rises above his image and delivers an extremely credible performance. The real star of the film might be Ashley Yeater- she's beautiful and heartbreaking as Pipe's ex-girlfriend. Every scene she has with Pipe is memorable. As soon as the end credits rolled I wanted to see this film again! There are some huge twists that are fore-shadowed well, but I had no idea what to expect. 10/10
AMAZING GRACE!
benhealeyjr25 February 2004
This film is an amazing example of what you can do with a great story and a small budget! From the look of the film, I would say GRACE AND THE STORM was shot entirely on location in New York City, and the cast (although very competent and talented) is mostly made up of unknowns. But don't let that deter you from seeing this beautiful, incredibly suspenseful picture.
At first I thought this would be another low-budget SOPRANOS rip-off. I can go the rest of my life without seeing another second-rate Scorsese make his own low-budget version of the "last big score" film. But GRACE AND THE STORM is really nothing like that, in fact it's probably on par with some of the best SOPRANOS episodes. Think some of the stranger episodes from the 4th season, where Tony was having the weird dream sequences, and you're almost there. Once the Grace deal is in motion, you won't want to miss a single word. Trust me, there's a huge payoff coming. It was nice seeing Dean Cameron, he does a fantastic variation on the old stoner characters he played in the 80s. My score: 9/10!
At first I thought this would be another low-budget SOPRANOS rip-off. I can go the rest of my life without seeing another second-rate Scorsese make his own low-budget version of the "last big score" film. But GRACE AND THE STORM is really nothing like that, in fact it's probably on par with some of the best SOPRANOS episodes. Think some of the stranger episodes from the 4th season, where Tony was having the weird dream sequences, and you're almost there. Once the Grace deal is in motion, you won't want to miss a single word. Trust me, there's a huge payoff coming. It was nice seeing Dean Cameron, he does a fantastic variation on the old stoner characters he played in the 80s. My score: 9/10!
Watching Grace is like having a storm in your head.
rastafar_ian27 August 2004
I'd like to make a comment about the man who made this movie. If his first feature is this good, just how good is his next one going to be? Grace and the Storm honestly blew me away. I couldn't believe it when I first saw it.
It's one of those movies that you can't stop talking about and you want to go see again and again. Everything ties in brilliantly. There is a multitude of levels to this movie that really keep you thinking. The characters are wonderful and you just want to keep watching them.
The best thing about it is this isn't your average drug movie. It's a tender drug movie with heart. Don't get me wrong. It does have its share of good fight scenes and heart-pounding, head-throbbing suspense; however, you get into the characters to the point where you really care about them a great deal. They are the main focus, not the drug. To me, the movie is not about the drug. It is about the struggle of a dealer who somehow is wrapped up in a life he feels he doesn't belong in and is looking for a way out so he can just enjoy the fruits of his labor. At the same time, there are many missions from other characters which add to the levels in this story.
I'll leave it at that and let you see the rest for yourself. All I have to say is that you're a fool if you don't see Grace and the Storm.
It's one of those movies that you can't stop talking about and you want to go see again and again. Everything ties in brilliantly. There is a multitude of levels to this movie that really keep you thinking. The characters are wonderful and you just want to keep watching them.
The best thing about it is this isn't your average drug movie. It's a tender drug movie with heart. Don't get me wrong. It does have its share of good fight scenes and heart-pounding, head-throbbing suspense; however, you get into the characters to the point where you really care about them a great deal. They are the main focus, not the drug. To me, the movie is not about the drug. It is about the struggle of a dealer who somehow is wrapped up in a life he feels he doesn't belong in and is looking for a way out so he can just enjoy the fruits of his labor. At the same time, there are many missions from other characters which add to the levels in this story.
I'll leave it at that and let you see the rest for yourself. All I have to say is that you're a fool if you don't see Grace and the Storm.
Interesting, but could have been better
dreyerda20 March 2004
Interesting movie about a New York City drug dealer who comes upon a mythical drug 'grace'. The leading male and female actor and actress did a very nice job. In one scene a man is doing 'grace' for the first time. The main character is questioning him from the shadows and the lighting effect works well. Unfortunately, however, the scene drags on a lot longer than it should have. Also, while the leading male role was well played, the part for him was not very well written. He was so overly contemplative and sensitive that it seemed like he would have been better suited as a poet in the movie than a ruthless drug dealer. Also, the writer goes at such pains to shows the bodyguard's loyalty that the ending is not as big of a surprise as it could have been. The grace and the storm idea and the grace and wrath of God parallel was a good idea, but it could have been more developed. Despite being somewhat critical I do still have to say that it held my attention for the most part and so I would recommend it.
Very suspenseful with outstanding writing and acting.
MarvinMange17 February 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Grace and the Storm is one of those movies that makes you feel like you've discovered a diamond in the rough. I had never really heard of this movie and only recognized a few of the supporting actors, but after the first thirty minutes or so I was totally hooked. The main character, Pipe is a powerful New York drug dealer who gets talked into selling this legendary drug called "Grace". I won't go into the details on this drug because that might lead into all sorts of spoilers but the history and the description of the Grace was fascinating. The director did an amazing job of mixing an epic story about this secret, mythological drug with a very human story about the lead characters. There are a couple of huge twists, one in the middle involving the Rich Karma character. That scene was definitely one of the coolest in the whole film, and actually pretty scary. It's safe to say that this will be one of many scenes somebody will be going over in their mind after the credits roll. The last four scenes or so are especially well done. The tension escalates and the stakes just keep getting higher for Pipe, and the conclusion is just flat out incredible, with another great twist. I don't see that many good indies anymore, I basically feel like the filmmaking technology just keeps getting cheaper so you end up with a lot of amateurs putting out amateur stuff. I'm not sure what kind of a budget Grace and the Storm had, I imagine it wasn't even one million, but this is definitely an indie that rivals most Hollywood flicks in terms of story, acting, and entertainment! Very exciting. And Jim Florentine is hysterical!
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