State of Grace Beat Sheet

State of Grace

Written by Dennis McIntyre
Uncredited rewrite by David Rabe
Directed by Phil Joanou
Running time: 129 minutes
Year: 1990

STATE OF GRACE BEAT SHEET / STORY MAP

PROTAGONIST: Terry Noonan, 30, undercover cop assigned to take down his old friends
CHARACTERIZATION | MAIN MISBEHAVIOR: Conflicted over his duty vs. loyalty | Alcoholic
EXTERNAL GOAL: To arrest Frankie’s gang / To solve Stevie’s murder / To avenge Jackie’s murder
INTERNAL GOAL: To find salvation
MAIN DRAMATIC CONFLICT: Jackie / Kate /Frankie
THEMES: Loyalty / Betrayal / Revenge
CENTRAL DRAMATIC QUESTION: Will Terry turn on Jackie?
ENDING: Terry kills Frankie, avenges Jackie and Stevie’s murders.
ARC: Terry goes from a conflicted undercover cop to a man who takes justice into his own hands to avenge his best friend’s murder.

STORY ENGINES

ACT I

After a long absence from the Kitchen, Terry finds his old friend, Jackie Flannery, and asks for a job with Jackie’s brother Frankie, an Irish mob boss. He reconnects with Jackie’s sister Kate, who was Terry’s first love (and he her’s), and they rekindle their romance. When Jackie knocks on Terry’s door and tells him that Frankie wants them on job, it’s clear Terry is now inside their organization.

ACT II-A

Acting under orders from Italian mob boss Joe Borelli, Frankie kills Terry and Jackie’s good friend Stevie for his debt and disrespect to Jimmy Cavello. Later, we discover Terry is an undercover cop working to bust the Flannery’s organization. Terry wants out, but his C.O., Nick, warns that the innocent lives will be on his hands if he quits. The guilt weighs heavily on Terry, and after a night of heavy drinking, confesses to Kate that he’s a cop. Later, he learns that Frankie and Nicholson killed Stevie.

ACT II-B

After Jackie executes Jimmy Cavello, Borelli meets with Frankie and demands that Jackie be killed over the death of Cavello. Later, Terry shows up at Jackie’s place where Jackie casually speaks of a pick-up where Terry believes Frankie will have him killed. After leaving Jackie, Terry calls Nick to save Jackie from Frankie.

ACT III

Terry accompanies Jackie on the pick-up, but at a different location than expected. When they arrive, Terry calls Nick, but as he makes the call, Frankie shows up and kills Jackie. When Nick and the cops eventually show up, Terry quits. Terry shows up at Jackie’s wake, tells Frankie that he was Pier 84 the night Jackie was killed. As a parting gift, he leaves Frankie with his police badge. After asking forgiveness from Kate and having her not give it, Terry walks into Frankie’s bar and starts a gunfight. Terry is shot several times, but mangoes to kill everyone, including Frankie, avenging Jackie and Stevie’s murders.

FULL STORY MAP

ACT I

Sequence I: Terry Noonan meets Nick in Queensbridge Park, receives two guns from him. Later, Terry and his supplier, DeMarco meet up with Nick for drug deal in the Bronx. When the deal goes south, Terry is forced to kill Nick.

1-3 – OPENING IMAGES: Distorted close-ups of bagpipe players, marching band members in the St. Paddy’s Day Parade.

4-5 – TERRY NOONAN meets with NICK in Queensbridge Park. Nick gives him a bag with two guns. Terry’s conflicted about something. Nick asks if he’s okay and all Terry can say is “yeah.”

5-6 – Terry and DeMarco meet with Nick and another man for a drug deal in an abandoned lot in the Bronx. Nick pulls a gun, demands the drugs without payment. Terry plays it cool enough to distract Nick and get the drop on him. Terry puts a few bullets in each man.

7 – Terry and DeMarco run back to the car. Inside, Terry shoves his gun in DeMarco’s face, threatening to kill him if he speaks a word to anyone.

7 – DeMarco drops Terry off at the subway. Terry boards an empty train, catches his breath. As it takes off, he lights up a smoke to settle his nerves.

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Sequence II: Terry reconnects with his old friend, Jackie Flannery, and asks for a job with Jackie’s brother Frankie, an Irish mob boss. When Terry helps Jackie save their old friend Stevie from some Italian loansharks, Jackie tells Terry he’ll speak with his brother about him.

9-10 – Terry finds his old friend, JACKIE FLANNERY, in a Hell’s Kitchen watering hole. Jackie’s ecstatic to see him. Terry asks Jackie for a few words alone, that he needs some help.

10-11 – On a rooftop, Terry tells Jackie about the situation with DeMarco and the drug deal murders. Jackie warns that DeMarco could turn on him if he gets popped.

11 – INCITING INCIDENT: Terry asks Jackie for work. Jackie informs him his older brother Frankie is now the new boss.

14 – In the early morning, Jackie and Terry sober up with some coffee at the bar. Jackie warns Terry never do business with Italians. In Hell’s Kitchen, they’re safe. Frankie once killed a man in the middle of the street and no one said a thing.

15-16 – KATE FLANNERY, Jackie’s sister, walks into the bar, angry Jackie didn’t meet her as planned. She’s taken aback upon seeing Terry. They were each other’s first love. Terry disappeared and broke her heart.

17 – Kate asks if Terry’s here to stay, or just passing through. Jackie insists he’s here to stay.

18 – On the waterfront, Terry and Jackie run into STEVIE, one of Terry’s old friends from the neighborhood. Stevie’s in debt to Jimmy Cavello for $8k and is getting shaken down for a payment from two of Cavello’s men.

19 – Jackie starts a fight with Cavello’s men. Terry and Stevie join in and take them down. As Cavello’s men leave, they inform Stevie he’ll be hearing from Cavello.

20-21 – Jackie tells Terry he’s gonna talk with Frankie about bringing him into their organization.

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Sequence III: Terry meets with Frankie. Though Frankie doesn’t offer him a job, their meeting goes well. Frankie has his right hand man Nicholson check out DeMarco, orders him to kill DeMarco if the story checks out. Later, Terry meets up with Kate and they begin to rekindle their romance.

22-23 – STRONG MOVEMENT FORWARD: Terry plays pool with FRANKIE FLANNERY at his home in Jersey. Frankie questions him about his disappearance. Terry tells him he spent time in the Marine Corps, working in Texas and Oklahoma.

23 – Terry and Jackie leave. Frankie instructs his top lieutenant, PAT NICHOLSON, to look into the Bronx drug deal incident with Terry and DeMarco. If things check out, he demands Nicholson kill DeMarco so the cops can’t trace Terry to their organization.

24-26 – Terry and Jackie burn down a Hell’s Kitchen building bought by yuppies who evicted the Irish.

27 – Jackie leaves the bar with his girlfriend Irene. Terry finishes a pint on his own.

28 – Terry heads up to the Regent Hotel and asks Kate if he can see her.

29-30 – Terry and Kate go for a walk. Their attraction to each other is obvious. She suggests they go dancing. Terry agrees.

31 – Terry slow dances with Kate.

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Sequence III: Jackie knocks on Terry’s door at 2am – Frankie wants them on job. Terry is now inside their organization.

32 – Posing as a cop, Nicholson finds DeMarco and questions him about Terry.

33 – END OF ACT ONE TURN: Jackie knocks on Terry’s hotel room door at 2am — Frankie wants them on a job.

Note: the decision for the turn happens off camera. Terry accepts.

ACT II-A

Sequence I: Frankie’s crew unravels during a shakedown, which Frankie fears could ruin an upcoming deal with the Italians. Terry goes over to Kate’s apartment late at night and they make love. Acting under orders from Italian mob boss Joe Borelli, Frankie kills Stevie for his debt and disrespect to Jimmy Cavello.

33-35 – Terry goes with Frankie, Jackie, and crew to shakedown a bar owner. Frankie attempts to push expensive whiskey on the owner. When the owner refuses, Frankie has Jackie trash his inventory.

35-36 – Nicholson punches the bar owner, a man Stevie knows. Frankie’s crew unravels when Stevie stands up for the bar owner. Punches are thrown between the crew, Frankie has to pull Jackie and Terry off Nicholson for attacking Stevie.

37 – Outside, Frankie berates his crew: They could ruin his deal with an Italian mob boss, Joe Borelli.

37 – Later, Frankie pulls Terry aside and makes it clear to never disobey him again.

38-40 – Terry knocks on Kate’s door late at night, wakes her up. Terry’s exhausted, as if he has a great weight on his shoulders. As she begins to console him, he kisses her. She reciprocates and they make love.

41-42 – Frankie meets with JOE BORELLI and JIMMY CAVELLO. Borelli instructs Frankie to take out Stevie for his debt and disrespect to Jimmy Cavello.

42-43 – Nicholson finds Stevie chatting it up with a girl at a bar, and asks to speak with him outside.

43-44 – In the alley behind the bar, Nicholson walks Stevie to Frankie. Stevie’s immediately anxious with the situation, perplexed when he learns it has to do with the money he owes Cavello. Nicholson pulls a knife and Stevie attempts to run, but to no avail. Frankie and Nicholson pin him to the ground and Frankie slits Stevie’s throat.

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Sequence II: Wanting to distance herself from her brothers’ activities, Kate calls it off with Terry after Stevie’s death. Later, Jackie and Terry attend a funeral of a neighborhood cop where Terry sees Nick as a pallbearer. Terry and Nick meet up on a subway and we discover Terry is an undercover cop working to bust the Flannery’s organization. Terry wants out, but Nick warns that the deal between Frankie and Borelli will only lead to more bloodshed and that the innocent lives will be on his hands if he quits.

45 – FIRST CASUALTY: Kate and Terry lie in bed in the morning. The phone rings and goes to the answering machine. It’s Jackie, pain evident in his voice, letting them know that Stevie’s dead. Terry picks up the phone immediately.

45-46 – Terry, Kate and Jackie go down to the waterfront where they find the police pulling Stevie’s body out of the Hudson. Kate is uncomfortable, especially when Frankie shows up with Nicholson.

46 – Frankie tries to calm Jackie, but it doesn’t work: Jackie is hellbent on killing the people responsible for Stevie’s death.

47 – Jackie and Kate argue. Stevie’s death reminds her of the world they’re playing in and she wants nothing to do with it. After Jackie storms off, she tells Terry she doesn’t want to see him anymore and runs off in a cab.

48-49 – At Calvary Cemetery, Jackie and Terry drink off in the distance as one of their old neighborhood pals, who happened to be a cop, is laid to rest. One of his pallbearers catches Terry’s eye: it’s Nick.

49-50 – Jackie and Terry go to a bar where the dead man’s family mourns with friends. As Jackie pays his respect to the man’s father, Nick appears next to Terry. Terry criticizes him for being out in the open. Nick tells him that DeMarco is dead and that they need to talk.

51 – Jackie comes back to the bar. Stressed over Stevie’s death, he believes the Italians were responsible. Terry reminds him that Stevie owed lots of people money. Jackie doesn’t have the energy to argue. He breaks down and Terry consoles him.

51-53 – FIRST TRIAL: Terry meets with Nick in an empty subway car. Nick inquires about Stevie’s death. Nick questions if Frankie had something to do with it, but Terry believes it was the Italians. Terry begins to break…

53 – Terry torn over loyalty to his friends and his duty as a police officer; He can’t arrest his friends. He needs out, but Nick won’t help.

54 – Nick pleads with Terry to get something on Frankie. He informs Terry that if Frankie and Borelli make their deal, people will die and their blood will be on his hands.

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Sequence III: Frankie lies to his crew about Stevie’s death, claiming it was Cavello. Jackie unravels, distraught with Frankie’s orders to not touch Cavello. The guilt of his undercover work weighs heavily on Terry. He drinks too much one night and confesses to Kate that he’s a cop.

55-56 – At their bar, Frankie and Nicholson lie to Jackie and the crew about Stevie’s death, claiming it was Cavello. Frankie orders no one to hit Cavello without his permission. Still hurting over his friend’s death, Jackie insists something must be done; they can’t allow this in their neighborhood. When Frankie silences Jackie and lays down the law, Jackie’s emotions boil and he leaves the meeting. On his way out of the bar, he sees Irene flirting with another man and unloads, viciously beating the man.

57 – Frankie talks with Terry about his relationship with Kate. He tells Terry that Kate is an “ice queen” who holds people like them in contempt. Terry ignores him and goes after Jackie.

57 – Frankie instructs Nicholson to keep an eye on Terry.

58 – Terry goes to Kate’s apartment for help with finding Jackie.

59-62 – Terry and Kate find Jackie drunk, mourning Stevie at church. They reminisce about their childhood. After a few laughs, Jackie turns serious, breaks down at the pulpit. Terry consoles him as Kate looks on.

63-65 – MIDPOINT (internal): Terry goes back home with Kate. Drunk, he confesses to her that he’s a cop. Shocked by his confession, she tries to question him, but he leaves.

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Sequence IV: Terry works to squeeze money for the Flannerys out of an old man, learns that Frankie and Nicholson killed Stevie.

66 – Terry and Jackie shakedown a few debtors for Frankie.

67-69 – MIDPOINT (external): Terry tries to get cash out of FINN, a poor old-timer, but feels sorry for him. The old man warns him to not trust the Flannerys. Terry ignores the advice. He has one foot out the door when Finn lets him in on a secret: He witnessed Frankie and Nicholson murder Stevie.

ACT II-B

Sequence I: Terry investigates the information from the old man, learns that Stevie was led out of a bar by Nicholson. Unknown to Terry, Nicholson is following him. Later, Kate arrives at Terry’s, troubled over the fact that he’s a cop. She leaves deeply conflicted and agnry, Terry is unsure of what she’ll do.

71 – Nicholson follows Terry to Matty’s Bar. He calls Frankie. Frankie believes Terry’s trying to track down Stevie’s killer. He instructs Nicholson to kill the bartender.

72 – ASSUMPTION OF POWER: In Matty’s Bar, Terry attempts to question the bartender, but he refuses to talk. Believing the old man, Terry puts some pressure to the bartender, putting him in a headlock and pressing a gun to his head. In short order, the bartender confesses Nicholson led Stevie out of the bar the night Stevie died.

73 – Nicholson walks into the bar as the bartender is making a call to the cops and kills him.

75-76 – Frankie meets with Kate. From the start she makes it clear that she despises his way of life. He tells her that he’s bringing Terry into his organization, that Terry killed two people in the Bronx during a drug deal. She’s bewildered with the information, gets up and leaves.

77-79 – Kate meets with Terry, troubled over the information she knows. Terry explains that the Bronx drug deal/shooting was a setup to give him street cred. She’s in love with Terry, but he’s a cop trying to build a case against her brothers. He tries to comfort her, but she blows up, criticizing him for using her just like her brothers, and leaves.

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Sequence II: After Jackie executes Jimmy Cavello, Frankie is summoned to a meeting with Borelli. Frankie has Jackie, Terry, and their crew to stand by, guns loaded, if the meeting goes south.

80-81 – Jimmy Cavello and two of his men walk into a bar that Jackie happens to be drinking at. One of Jimmy’s men tell Jackie that Jimmy wants to settle their differences.

82 – Jackie executes Jimmy and his men in front of the entire bar.

82-83 – Frankie bursts in on Jackie, furious over Cavello’s execution. He tells Jackie he may have started a war, endangering their lives and prosperity. Nicholson interrupts: Borelli wants a meeting.

84 – Frankie tells Jackie to send everyone home and have them wait by their phones.

86 – Jackie calls Terry about a job. Terry tells him he’ll be there.

86-87 – Terry calls, leaves a message for Kate, apologizing for the pain he’s caused her. She doesn’t pick up; She just listens.

87-88 – Terry meets up with Jackie and the crew, Jackie shows him heavy weaponry. Jackie informs Terry about Cavello and Frankie’s meeting with Borelli. Frankie instructs Jackie to shoot up everyone at the meeting if he doesn’t hear from him by 2pm.

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Sequence III: Borelli meets with Frankie and demands that he kill his own brother over the death of Cavello. The meeting runs too long and Frankie is unable to call off Jackie. Fearing Frankie has been exectuted, Jackie, Terry, and the crew nearly light up the street with gunfire. With barely a second to spare, Frankie comes out and Jackie retreats.

89-90 – Jackie, Terry, and the crew hole up in an abandoned loft close to the meeting.

90-91 – Borelli instructs Frankie to kill Jackie, or they’ll do it for him.

92-93 – Frankie pleads for Jackie’s life, but Borelli remains firm: Jackie must die. Borelli demands an answer. Reluctantly, Frankie lets him know he’ll take care of it.

94-96 – 2pm rolls around and Jackie’s ready to go in guns blazing. Terry lies, tells Jackie they are to wait for the call. Terry and Jackie argue. Unsure, Jackie grows frustrated, angry, anxious.

95-97 – Borelli won’t let Frankie get up from the table to make the call.

97 – Jackie finally blows his top; They’re going in.

97-98 – Borelli allows Frankie to make his call, but Jackie, Terry, and the crew have already left the loft…

98-100 – Jackie and crew descend on the restaurant. Jackie notices Borelli outside and no sign of Frankie. Mere seconds before they open fire, Frankie rushes outside and covers Borelli. Jackie and crew pull back, but Borelli’s seen the whole thing. He laughs, tells Frankie they would crush him in a war.

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Sequence IV: Frankie sets up the hit to kill Jackie. Terry shows up at Jackie’s place where Jackie casually speaks of a pick-up where Terry believes Frankie will have him killed. Terry then tells Jackie that he heard Frankie put the hit on Stevie, but it only enrages Jackie, pushes them apart. After leaving Jackie, Terry calls Nick to save Jackie from Frankie.

101-102 – Frankie meets with Jackie in private. He lies, tells him Borelli had an issue with Cavello killing Stevie and wants to reward them as a result. There will be a pick-up for the cash that Frankie tells him to do alone. Uncharacteristically, Frankie hugs him on his way out.

103 – END OF ACT TWO TURN: Terry arrives at Jackie’s apartment. Jackie tells him about Borelli and the pick-up of $25k for the evening at Battery Park. Terry knows Jackie’s in danger, but can’t warn him.

104-105 – Terry lets Jackie know that he heard Frankie killed Stevie. Jackie explodes and pulls a gun on Terry, defending Frankie’s honor. He cools down enough to kick Terry out.

105 – DECISION: Terry calls Nick about Frankie and Jackie. The cops will be at Battery Park to save Jackie’s life, but also arrest them.

ACT III

Sequence I: Jackie shows up at Terry’s place and apologizes. He invites him to come to the pick-up, but learns that the location has been changed. When they arrive at Pier 84, Terry heads off to call Nick, but as he makes the call, Frankie shows up and kills Jackie. When Nick and the cops eventually show up, Terry quits.

106 – On the way out of his boarding house, Terry finds Jackie walking up the stairs. Jackie apologizes, but makes it clear to never disrespect his brother again. He invites Terry to go with him to the pick-up. Terry agrees.

106 – While driving to the pick-up, Jackie tells Terry the meeting has been moved to Pier 84.

107 – Jackie and Terry arrive at Pier 84. Jackie asks him to hide while the pick-up happens, as he’s supposed to be alone.

108 – Terry calls the police to let Nick know the location has been changed.

109 – While Terry’s on the phone with the police, Frankie pulls up and shoots Jackie three times in the chest.

110 – By the time Terry gets there, Frankie’s gone and Jackie’s dead.

111 – Nick questions Terry about the details, but Terry was on the phone with the police at the time Jackie was shot. Terry blames himself for Jackie’s death, quits.

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Sequence II: Terry shows up at Jackie’s wake, tells Frankie that he was Pier 84 the night Jackie was killed. As a parting gift, he leaves Frankie with his police badge. Terry then shows up to Kate’s. He tells her that Frankie killed Jackie and asks for her forgiveness, but she acts if she doesn’t care and walks out of his life forever.

113 – At Jackie’s wake, Frankie lies to Kate, tells her he doesn’t know why Jackie was shot.

113-114 – Terry comforts Kate, but she’s cold, believing that the information she held about Terry being a cop may have prevented Jackie’s death.

114 – Terry puts a bottle of whiskey in Jackie’s coffin.

115-116 – POINT OF NO RETURN: Terry tells Frankie he was on Pier 84 the night Jackie died. Frankie warns Terry to not challenge him, but Terry laughs, hands Frankie his police badge, and leaves.

116-120 – Terry bursts into Kate’s apartment, begs her forgiveness.

120 – Kate’s buzzer rings. She explains that she’s about to go on a date. Terry tells her that Frankie killed Jackie, but she doesn’t care and leaves.

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Sequence III: Frankie puts a hit on Terry, forcing Terry to hide. During the St. Patrick’s Day parade, Terry walks into Frankie’s bar and starts a gunfight with Frankie and all his men. Terry is shot several times, but mangoes to kill everyone, including Frankie.

121 – Frankie puts the hit out on Terry: $15k dead; $30k for his head.

121 – Frankie’s crew burst into Terry’s boarding room, but he’s gone, sleeping on a bench at Grand Central Station.

122 – St. Paddy’s Day parade. Terry walks through the parade crowd.

123 – Frankie and his crew drink at the bar. Frankie gets up to take a leak.

124 – Terry stops outside the bar, removes a gun from a plastic bag, and conceals it in his waist of his pants.

124-126 – Terry walks into the bar, finds most of the crew sitting around. He kills Nicholson immediately. He takes out two more, but gets shot in the leg. Even shot, he’s able to kill the last man standing out in the open.

127 – Finding cover behind the bar, Terry takes a bullet to the arm from a guy standing in an adjacent stairwell. Terry reacts quickly, unloads a couple rounds into the guy’s chest.

127-128 – CLIMAX: Terry faces off against Frankie. Frankie shoots wildy, manages to hit Terry the gut. But Terry carries on, waits patiently for his shot, and when he has it, puts a bullet between Frankie’s eyes.

128-129 – Kate watches the St. Paddy’s Day parade alone.

129 – CLOSING IMAGE: Terry takes a seat on the floor behind the bar, waits patiently to die.

129 – THE END.