Grosse Pointe Blank


"I was hired to kill you, but I’m not gonna do it. Either because I’m in love with your daughter, or I have a newfound respect for life."   - Martin Blank


release year: 1997
genre: dark comedy
viewing setting: home Bluray 1/5/22 and home DVD, 6/19/20 and 7/28/12 and 2/9/10 and 10/25/04 and 6/22/01 and theater 4/18/97

synopsis: A hitman mixes business with pleasure when he takes a job at the same time and place as his ten-year high school reunion.

impressions: I was pleasantly surprised - this movie was funny and violent! It's also a common fantasy: coming back as something much superior to what you were when you left. It's an indirectly funny movie, containing a lot of off-the-cuff quips and one-liners e.g. Cusack ragging on former classmates who are still living 10 years in the past. There's also a redemption/starting-over theme going on here. The point is, it's entertaining, yet not sappy - which I really, really like.

things to watch for: The gunfight in the mansion at the end.

something this movie has that no other movie has: Dan Aykroyd as a trigger-happy assassin.

acting: John Cusack seldom disappoints, and this was a fine role for him. His facial expressions and pithy comments were perfect for this role. Minnie Driver, as his old girlfriend, also does a great job; they have good chemistry together. Dan Aykroyd was funny yet dangerous as a joke-spouting, gun-firing senior hitman. Mitchell Ryan is the girl's laid-back father. Alan Arkin is Martin's long-suffering psychiatrist.

final word: A winner. If you enjoy your comedies with a bit of seriousness thrown in, you'll like this one.

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