Grosse Point Blank (1997, Dir. George Armitage)
Synopsis:
Disillusioned with his career as a professional hitman, Martin Blank (John Cusack) is forced to return to his hometown of Grosse Point, Michigan, when he’s given a job to do on the same weekend as his high school reunion. He tries to reconcile with former High School girlfriend, Debbie (Minnie Driver), who still hasn’t forgiven him for jilting her at the prom all those years previously, whilst avoiding fellow hitman Grocer (Dan Ackroyd), two F.B.I. Agents and another assassin who are all in town to kill him.
I’ve remarked more than once on this blog about how certain films, which are critically acclaimed on their release, are slightly forgotten about over time. Such is the case, at least in my mind, with this little gem of a movie which I saw at the cinema when it first came out and immediately fell in love with. Whilst Cusack’s subsequent turn in the adaptation of Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity was a huge success this, the movie that paved the way for that film, hasn’t received the same attention. Something which I feel is a shame as, despite my love for High Fidelity, I’d argue this is almost a better movie.
Certainly it remains one of Cusack’s best film performances and, at the time, seem to suggest he was finally realizing the potential previously hinted at in films such as Say Anything and The Grifters. In producing and co-writing this film Cusack established the template for how he would go on to to work on High Fidelity, where he and his team at New Crime would be as responsible for the tone and feel of the film as the director themselves, whilst, at same time, giving him enough space to create the sort of quirky leading roles he’s now synonymous with. He followed up his work here with fascinatingly contrasting performances in Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil and Being John Malkovich, before bringing back much of the team here for High Fidelity. Sadly, what Cusack and collaborators have produced since hasn’t lived up to the promise, the unofficial sequel/follow up to Grosse Point Blank, War Inc. fell completely flat and Cusack’s work in other films has been a mixed bag, in my opinion, with only a few good performances: Must Love Dogs, Identity, 1408 and Maps To The Stars mixed in with a bunch of direct to DVD/video on demand rubbish which doesn’t make nearly enough of his talents.
Whilst Cusack’s character is undeniably the main focus, the supporting characters are so beautifully crafted, even though their screen time is limited, that this often feels like an ensemble piece. Minnie Driver and Dan Ackroyd are both given more interesting roles than they generally get here, with Ackroyd in particular relishing the opportunity to play the cynical and mean Grocer and Driver giving what I believe to be one of her best ever screen performances. The scene where she finally confronts Martin back at his hotel room after seeing him kill the assassin is especially powerful. It’s also lovely to see both Mitchell Ryan and Alan Arkin once again given the chance to show how brilliant they are. In the case of Arkin, this film now feels like the moment Hollywood “re-discovered” him, because afterwards he then suddenly seemed to pop up in any film needing a elderly curmudgeon and the prototype for the roles he would go on to receive great acclaim for, in the likes of Little Miss Sunshine and Argo, can be found here in his role as Martin’s psychiatrist. These are just the tip of the iceberg, however, and there’s not one performance in this that isn’t on target (sorry!) and it’s fascinating to spot Jeremy Piven, Hank Azaria and, in a very small role, Jenna Elfman (whose career would suddenly take off a year or two afterwards) before they were really known.
The film’s score is by Joe Strummer of The Clash, though what you can hear of it in the film is very minimal indeed (you can almost hear more in the trailer than in the actual film!)— most of the film’s memorable musical moments are created using pop songs from the 80s — the scene where Martin looks into the young baby’s eyes whilst Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure plays in the background, being particularly memorable — which of course fit in nicely with the high school reunion idea, but also reminds viewers of the brat pack movies and Cusack’s own earlier roles in The Sure Thing and Say Anything.
If for some reason you missed this on its initial release or, perhaps more likely, haven’t seen it for some years perhaps it’s time to head back to Grosse Point, Michigan and reacquaint yourself with this fantastic film.
