Spurred on by a few kind words from ‘thedeadparrot’ I’ve been building up to an op on one of my all-time favourite films – Grosse Pointe Blank.

I first went to see this film at one of my college’s film nights – a bargain £2.00 entry fee, although they get the good films a few weeks after the main cinemas have stopped showing them. After a bit of a mix up (I think the projectionists are the students) they managed to show the beginning of the last reel in the middle of the film – que a voice yelling “Sorry Folks – shall we try that one again!?” from behind the curtain – and even that didn’t manage to put me off this film!

Plot – No Spoilers!

Martin Blank is a hitman with a bit of a problem. He’s lost his taste for the job, and is finding the whole thing is getting him down a bit, so after consulting his psychiatrist (who is petrified of him) he decides to combine work with pleasure and go back home to Grosse Pointe. There he intends to go to his 10 year High School reunion, woo back the girl he dumped on prom night and kill someone at the same time – like you do. But he has a few problems. A rival assassin Grocer, played by Dan Aykroyd is dismayed when Marty refuses to join his union (“We could be working together, making big money, killing important people.... “) and so tips off some government spooks about his latest job. Add to this another assassin who’s been booked for the same job and things get a little difficult! Meanwhile, Martin is trying to make things right (and get into the pants of) Debbi who is more than a little shocked at finding him back in her life – he doesn’t get off to a good start when she ritually humiliates him on her local radio show. So will he get the girl and kill the guy?!

Acting

I have to admit that (after Tim Roth) John Cusack is one of my favourite actors. He manages to have this innocent puppy dog look, but at the same time, you totally believe he could blow someone’s brains out at the drop of a hat! He has great comic timing, and the scenes with Dan Aykroyd (who is also fantastic in it) are incredibly funny. Add to this Minnie Driver, who does one of the most credible American accents for an English girl, Joan Cusack in a small but funny part as Martin’s secretary (another one of his sisters is also in it) and Jeremy Piven as Martin best friend from High School, and you have a great cast. There isn’t one actor that lets this film down.

Script

You know how once in a while a script comes along that you find yourself quoting at regular intervals? No? Ah, well, it must just be me. But having said that, this film features some fantastic quotable lines. It also features a great running joke. Whenever anyone asks Martin what he does for a living he always tells them the truth and gets replies like “Do you get dental with that?“. Plus you get an exploding Kwiki Mart and one of my favourite jokes in any film ever (which I can’t reveal or it would give the plot away!). The fact that this film was co-written by John Cusack, just show you the talent this guy possesses.

Soundtrack

A must for all 80’s kids like myself, this soundtrack features the opposite side to 80’s music. While The Wedding Singer featured the crap but strangely entertaining music of this decade, Grosse Point Blank features the cool stuff like The Specials, Faith No More and The Clash. It’s worth buying the video for the soundtrack alone because it brings back so many memories and is packed with great songs. Highlights are "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes, "Live and Let Die" by Guns and Roses and "Armagideon Time" by The Clash.

Verdict

Like I said at the beginning, this is one of my all-time favourites (in the top five along with Reservoir Dogs, Usual Suspects, Fight Club and The Shawshank Redemption). Directed by George Armitage, who I admit I’ve never heard of, it’s a stylish piece of film making. It’s one of those genuinely funny black comedies that only come along once in a while, and isn’t frantically paced, or slow and boring. It’s got a fantastic soundtrack and some of the best acting in recent times, and I honestly could have happily sat through another hour of it! I would recommend this film to anyone as it’s one of the few films that I can watch again and again without tiring of it, and when you’ve seen this a next good step would be High Fidelity (also co-written by and starting John Cusack – although it remains pretty faithful to the original novel).

Martin – “A psychopath kills for no reason. I kill for money. Wait, that didn’t come out right….”

Grosse Pointe Blank is certificate 15, 103 minutes long and the biggest laugh I’ve ever had!