This has been on my radar since it was released and at last, I can cross it off. I like John Cusack as an actor (though I'll forget about "2012" for the purposes of this argument!) and this had all the feel of a smart-aleck comic thriller that normally appeals to me. And it does but something's missing. It has witty dialogue, genuine laughs, an amazing soundtrack and surprisingly decent action but by being a jack-of-all-trades, it ends up a master of none. However, this is still worth your attention simply by being a little different from the usual Hollywood film about hit men.
Cusack plays Martin Blank, an experienced professional killer who finds himself beginning to question his career choice. After turning down an offer to join an assassin's union led by his rival Grocer (Dan Aykroyd), Blank is contacted by his broker (Joan Cusack) with an odd proposition - his ten year high school reunion is taking place in Grosse Pointe, Michigan at the same time as a job is required in Detroit. Reluctantly, Martin agrees while thinking he can make amends with Debi (Minnie Driver), the girl he stood up at the prom ten years ago. But Blank has other concerns - he is pursued to Grosse Pointe by a couple of feds (Hank Azaria and K. Todd Freeman), another hit-man wanting to collect the price on Blank's head (Benny Urquidez) and Grocer who doesn't take too kindly to rejection...
If you're not sure what to make of "Grosse Pointe Blank" then you're not alone - the film veers wildly from energetic action thriller to romantic comedy which, if I'm honest, slowed the film down something chronic. Cusack and Driver are a good couple though, with real chemistry between them that sparkles on screen. But as Blank's two worlds begin to collide, things seriously begin to unravel in the film. Take the moment when Blank is forced to rely on his school buddy Paul (Jeremy Piven) to dispose of a body - at no point does Paul react with horror the way I suspect I might, nor does he question the scenario at all. It's a shame because there is much to like - Aykroyd is brilliantly psychotic as Grocer while the film's blistering soundtrack (by Joe Strummer of The Clash, of all people) is a real winner as well. There are also lots of references to other movies from "You Only Live Twice" to "The Warriors" which help the movie barrel along.
"Grosse Pointe Blank" is a good film but I wanted something more. It isn't as original as it thinks it is and its split personality prevents the film from being a great action film. The romantic subplot works as well as the action scenes which are full of noise, fire and debris flying about the place. I also felt Alan Arkin was underused as Blank's long-suffering therapist and that more could have been made of the premise. A hit-man suffering a crisis of confidence has been covered before in many movies but I doubt that a high school reunion dance featured in any of them. I can just about recommend "Grosse Pointe Blank" simply by being a little different from other hit-man-related films out there. At least it's not anything as adrenaline-fuelled as "Hitman" or "Assassins" - both of which were disappointingly one-dimensional action outings - but it has a depth to it that I can appreciate. I just wished that it was a bit braver in the script and that it was as clever as it thinks it is.
Cusack plays Martin Blank, an experienced professional killer who finds himself beginning to question his career choice. After turning down an offer to join an assassin's union led by his rival Grocer (Dan Aykroyd), Blank is contacted by his broker (Joan Cusack) with an odd proposition - his ten year high school reunion is taking place in Grosse Pointe, Michigan at the same time as a job is required in Detroit. Reluctantly, Martin agrees while thinking he can make amends with Debi (Minnie Driver), the girl he stood up at the prom ten years ago. But Blank has other concerns - he is pursued to Grosse Pointe by a couple of feds (Hank Azaria and K. Todd Freeman), another hit-man wanting to collect the price on Blank's head (Benny Urquidez) and Grocer who doesn't take too kindly to rejection...
If you're not sure what to make of "Grosse Pointe Blank" then you're not alone - the film veers wildly from energetic action thriller to romantic comedy which, if I'm honest, slowed the film down something chronic. Cusack and Driver are a good couple though, with real chemistry between them that sparkles on screen. But as Blank's two worlds begin to collide, things seriously begin to unravel in the film. Take the moment when Blank is forced to rely on his school buddy Paul (Jeremy Piven) to dispose of a body - at no point does Paul react with horror the way I suspect I might, nor does he question the scenario at all. It's a shame because there is much to like - Aykroyd is brilliantly psychotic as Grocer while the film's blistering soundtrack (by Joe Strummer of The Clash, of all people) is a real winner as well. There are also lots of references to other movies from "You Only Live Twice" to "The Warriors" which help the movie barrel along.
"Grosse Pointe Blank" is a good film but I wanted something more. It isn't as original as it thinks it is and its split personality prevents the film from being a great action film. The romantic subplot works as well as the action scenes which are full of noise, fire and debris flying about the place. I also felt Alan Arkin was underused as Blank's long-suffering therapist and that more could have been made of the premise. A hit-man suffering a crisis of confidence has been covered before in many movies but I doubt that a high school reunion dance featured in any of them. I can just about recommend "Grosse Pointe Blank" simply by being a little different from other hit-man-related films out there. At least it's not anything as adrenaline-fuelled as "Hitman" or "Assassins" - both of which were disappointingly one-dimensional action outings - but it has a depth to it that I can appreciate. I just wished that it was a bit braver in the script and that it was as clever as it thinks it is.