Hell’s Kitchen is a tough New York City neighbourhood on Manhattan’s Westside. Renowned for its brawling, hard-drinking Irish residents, this traditionally ethnocentric and fiercely loyal community is now threatened by the Italian mafia, outside developers, and a ruthless new generation of Irish gangsters. When Terry returns to the neighbourhood after a 10-year absence, he gets involved with mad childhood friend Jackie (Gary Oldman), Jackie’s gang leader-brother (Ed Harris), and rekindles his love affair with Jackie’s sister Kathleen (Robin Wright). Complicating matters: Terry’s secret mission.

Written by playwright Dennis McIntyre, composer Ennio Morricone provided an original music score for the film, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio has cited Gary Oldman’s performance in this film as one of his inspirations, noting that it “influenced an entire generation of actors”.

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Video Quality

Imprint Films debuts State of Grace on 4K UHD Blu-Ray in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 courtesy of a new 4K restoration of the Original 35mm Camera Negative in 2160p with Dolby Vision/HDR. The new master has been personally overseen by director Phil Joanou, which is seemingly the cause of at least some of the issues with this presentation. This label is based in Australia, but both the 4K UHD and Blu-Ray discs in this set will play in all 4K UHD and Blu-Ray players, including those in the United States. The film was previously released on Blu-Ray in the US from an older master by Twilight Time in 2015 and Sandpiper Pictures in 2022. I’ve never viewed either presentation, so direct comparisons can not be made. That being said, this new master has some shortcomings that make one believe that it is not the ultimate presentation most probably want.

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc is more than a bit underwhelming due to the elimination of most of the natural film grain, which is reportedly at the behest of director Phil Joanou. This has been an unfortunate trend with many older directors who view film grain as something they never wanted in their presentation, so they make this revision to the horror of film purists. The result here is an opening shot that shows promise, followed by a feature film of smoothed-over detail that eliminates the humanity and character of the frame. This could potentially be less egregious if the encoding wasn’t also disappointing. In addition to the application of DNR, you get mushy compression that has no place being on the 4K UHD format. A large capacity disc doesn’t mean everything if you do not have someone who can properly encode the file.

The news isn’t all bad, though, as the UHD disc maintains a faithful color palette that is perfectly complex thanks to the utilization of Dolby Vision. This is far from a vibrant spectacle, which suits the mood of the narrative, yet there are key elements of the lighting, clothing, and production design that spring to life with the proper nuance. This extends to the consideration put towards the contrast and overall clarity. Black levels are deep and allow the picture to achieve the proper amount of depth in the shadows. Highlights are firm and deliver stability without veering into blooming. There is also no serious lingering print damage or other such blemishes that would corrupt the appearance of this title. We see how this movie could look absolutely stunning, but there are some key issues keeping this from rising above merely decent.

Audio Quality

Imprint Films brings us this new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround sound track and an LPCM 2.0 stereo track that offer a rich audio experience. The score from Ennio Morricone comes through with sterling fidelity that is a joy to listen to. The environmental effects are delineated effectively, including the chatter in certain bars and the copious amount of gunfire. Dialogue presents crisp and clear without being overpowered by the music or other natural effects. The track does not come up short with any unexpected instances of age-related wear and tear. Imprint Films has delivered an audio experience that trounces the video side of things. Optional English HOH subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

The Imprint 4K UHD Blu-Ray of State of Grace includes an exclusive 60-page hardcover booklet with an essay from author and film historian Rachel Walther and production notes. This explores the legacy of the feature, the source material, its themes, the background of the creative figures, and more which is very illuminating. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentary: An archival commentary track is provided with director Phil Joanou and film historian, which delves into the production in great detail, including the conception of the film, collaborations with the performers, working with Ennio Morricone, and so much more.

Deleted Sequence: A nine-minute piece in which Joanou introduces a notorious deleted opening sequence featuring Michael Gambon that unfortunately had to be cut for a variety of reasons. It is exciting for this to finally be available to view.

A Matter of Timing – Interview with Director Phil Joanou: A new 20-minute interview with the filmmaker in which he discusses how he came to the project, the early drafts of the script, working with the performers, researching the real-life inspiration for the gang in the movie, and more.

Family and Blood – Interview with First Assistant Camera Jeff Cronenweth: A new 19-minute interview with the cinematographer in which he discusses working as a focus puller on State of Grace with his father.

Mob Morality in the Music of Ennio Morricone – Interview with Film Music Historian Daniel Schweiger: A new 15-minute interview in which the historian dives into the history of Ennio Morricone in the crime genre, what he brings to these movies, and more.

The Irish Gang – Interview with Producer Ned Dowd: A new 19-minute interview with the producer in which he details how the project came together, working with Phil Joanou, how the script evolved, and more.

Isolated Score: An option to view the film with only the Ennio Morricone score audible.

Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery

Trailer (1:33)

Home Video Trailer (2:43)

Final Thoughts

State of Grace is a gripping crime drama that finds many of our best contemporary performers coming together for extremely tense exchanges that they sell with complete authenticity. Each and every performance is incredibly magnetic. The screenplay is brutal yet believable as you spiral down the murky moral pipeline with these characters. The film moves along at a great pace, and the direction from Joanou brings a lot of energy to key set pieces. This is a memorable effort in the pantheon of ‘90s crime movies. Imprint Films has delivered a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that offers an inconsistent A/V presentation and some essential special features.

The Imprint Films edition of State of Grace is now available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Imprint Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.