Thoughts on Grosse Pointe Blank

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 2:50 PM By Simon

-A hitman with an identity crisis (John Cusack) goes to his high school reunion, ostentatiously for a job, mostly to reconnect with his old girlfriend, who he jilted on prom night (Minnie Driver). Meanwhile, he is pursued by hitmen of various creed and legal authority, including a rival who's trying to recruit him into an assassins' union (Dan Akyroyd).

-You know a movie's good when they let Dan Akroyd be funny again. And John Cusack isn't a puffy-faced sadsack. Or he is, but it's tolerable. Also, Alan Arkin. Yay, Alan Arkin.

-Why must they squander Minnie Driver's voice in favor of an American accent? She's Jane, guys. Let her be Jane.

-The dialogue is clever without being precious, the action's incorporated into, rather than rudely interrupting, dramatic/comedic scenes, the supporting cast all get their little moments of awesome, and they actually make the most out of a required eighties-only musical selection.

-There's a Basque hitman who I think was albino. And you know me. I'm a sucker for semi-obscure Eurasian cultures.

3 comments:

Sam Turner said...

I love this. Really, really love it. It's a comedy about an existentially obsessed hitman played by John Cusack and supported by Akroyd, Driver, Piven (when he was good) and Arkin. And it's every bit as good as that sounds.

Also, it has lines like;

'I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been?'

and

'It's either because I'm in love with your daughter or because I have a newfound respect for life'/'That punk is either in love with that guy's daughter or he has a newfound respect for life'

and... I could be here all day.

June 8, 2011 at 2:56 AM
Sam Fragoso said...

I liked this movie.

Your thoughts are spot on.

June 8, 2011 at 9:26 PM
Simon said...

Film Intel: Was Piven ever good? I always thought he was tolerable at best.

Duke: Thank you.

June 9, 2011 at 6:12 PM