This 90's dark comedy has aged
remarkably well. John Cusack play Martin Blank, a hit man thinking
of getting out of the business. His intended last job happens to be
in his hometown, the week of his high school reunion. Martin has
some unfinished business with a high school flame (Minnie Driver), so
he figures he'll mix business with pleasure. Back in Grosse Pointe,
Martin pursues Debi (Driver) while being pursued by a rival hit-man
and a couple of rogue government agents.
“Gross Pointe Blank” is a noir
comedy that gets the mix of noir and comedy right, and it can be
enjoyed as such, but the movie does try to dig a little into deeper
issues on the question of redemption. Martin didn't exactly set out
to be a hired killer (the government selected and trained him), but
he is obviously morally capable of it. After years of that life, the
big question he now faces is, “Can he change?”
It's a fairly straightforward story,
but well-told and perfectly paced. Cusack and Driver are excellent,
with a great supporting cast including Jeremy Piven and Joan Cusack
(John's sister). The only miscasting is Dan Akroyd, who never becomes
convincing as the rival assassin.
My one complaint besides Akroyd is the
soundtrack, not that it's bad, but that there's some revisionist
history going on here. This is one of those movies that makes it
look like we were all listening to nothing but cool-ass alternative
and punk music in the '80s, stuff like “Echo and the Bunnymen,”
“The Pixies,” and “The Cure.” I wish. My recollection of
the decade is that most people were listening to either hair-metal or
Paula Abdul. Still, I wouldn't want to watch a movie that featured
the music that was actually on the radio back then, so I'll give them
a pass.
“Grosse Pointe Blank” holds up
great to a repeat viewing, and if the movie slipped by you the first
time around, you might want to dip back into the '90s and check it
out.
3 stars out of 5
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