Well, this being my first ever film review on Ciao! I decided that, in all clear conscience, there was no other movie worthy of my attention moreso than possibly my all-time favourite flick Grosse Point Blank.

Looked over for far too long, I felt that as a fan of the aforementioned movie I had a sacred duty to perform in attempting to bring this out from under the shadow of mediocrity, where it has languished for far too long, and into the light and also, with any luck, into people's DVD players too.

Written by Tom Jankiewicz. D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink ( 40 Days And 40 Nights, and High Fidelity. ) and John Cusack ( Who's other movies will be listed at the end of this review. ) and Directed by George Armitage, Grosse Point Blank tells the tale of one mans quest to find meaning in his life.

And where better a place to start than by going to his 10 year High School Reunion at Grosse Point, Michigan.

But life is never as simple as all that and this would be one boring review if that was all there was to the movie. There really is only one place to start this tale and that would be at the beginning, 10 years before the movie takes place.

Spring 1986 in " Small Town " mid America. A young girl waits on the front steps of her home in a $700 Prom dress waiting for the love of her life who never shows up. In fact, until 10 years later he is never seen again in his hometown.

Now lets skip 10 years to the start of the movie where we see Martin Q Blank ( played by John Cusack. Don't ask what the Q stands for, we never find out. ) in a hotel room readying a silenced sniper rifle while talking to his secretary, Marcella ( played by John's sister Joan Cusack ) on his mobile. As Marcella informs Martin of his High School Reunion invitation Martin carefully takes aim at a man on a pedal bike coming down a hill. The man, a would-be assassin, pulls a gun from beneath his jacket as he pedals towards his " mark ". With practiced skill Martin fires one shot at the would-be assassin killing him before he can complete his task of assassinating a man who is leaving a hotel with his entourage of bodyguards. Unknown to Martin, Grocer ( played by Dan Aykroyd ) is posing as a doorman at the hotel and shots not only the " mark " but also the two bodyguards in the back before disappearing back into the hotel.

The stage is set. Martin Q Blank is now a fully-fledged assassin for hire. After running away on Prom night 10 years prior Martin joined up with the Army and due to his " Psychological Profile " was drafted into working Black Ops " for the CIA. Now a freelancer, Martin kills people for money ( where can I sign up ?? ) but things are not a bed of roses in Martin's life.

He's become dispassionate, bored and uneasy with his life although he hastens to point out that it is not the killing that is getting him down as he talks to his psychoanalyst, Dr. Oatman ( played by Alan Arkin ) who wants nothing to do with Martin. Dr. Oatman even tries to point out that he is emotionally involved with Martin as he is scared of him and that constitutes an emotional involvement. Martin responds to this in a typically " Cusack " dry-wit way that he knows where Dr. Oatman lives. Dr. Oatman manages to somehow convince Martin that going to his High School Reunion is a good thing, though this is more out of fear than anything and tells Martin " Don't kill anybody for awhile, see how it feels. " Martin says that he will give it a shot to which Dr. Oatman replies " No, don't give it a shot, don't shoot anything !! "

Now Martin has made a mistake on a job prior to this which his secretary refers to as a " Snafu " and to make amends he has to accept a job which incidentally takes him back to his home town.

Once there he meets up with several characters from his past including Debi Newberry ( played by Minnie Driver ), the girl he had stood up 10 years ago and who know works as a radio presenter / DJ in the local radio station.

As well as her there is also Paul Spericki ( played by Jeremy Pivens ) a High School friend who is now a real estate broker and in fact brokered the deal that sold his childhood home to a company that turned it into a small convenience store

Jenna Elfman ( the daughter of the famous movie music man Danny Elfman ) and Ann Cusack both make cameos as people at the reunion as well as other less known actors and actresses.

There is also Debi's father ( played by Mitchell Ryan ) who appears in the latter stages of the movie and delivers one of the best Shakespearean quotes I have heard in any movie but I'm not going to tell you what it was and spoil it for you.

Through out the movie you are time and again stunned by every ones lack of shock whenever Martin reveals his chosen occupation. The remarks made are everything from " Do you get dental with that ?? " to " Good for you, it's a growth industry !! "

The movie is literally littered with understated dry sarcasm and stoic wit in a script that even the writers of Dawson's Creek would have difficulty with. This is not a morons movie, there is no slapstick or unintelligent humour in sight whatsoever and nearly all the comedy comes from cleverly written dialogues and observational situations that while are incredibly unusual and off the wall are handled in a " everything is normal " way as though this was an every day experience. But then anyone who is familiar with Cusack's work will appreciate the highbrow humour that he has become famous for in the latter part of his acting career.

There are unexpected twists and turns aplenty that keep you wondering what the hell is going to happen next all the way through the movie. This is not a movie that can be easily predicted and even after the 30 or so times I have popped it into my DVD player it still never fails to make me laugh. It is truly a masterpiece of movie making and enviable scripting that melds into a film that can be watched time and again without ever getting boring.

The soundtrack for this movie is relevant enough to comment upon. As the reunion is for the Class of 86 the music for the movie keeps with that premise with an eclectic mix that anyone old enough to remember the Eighties will appreciate.

Here's a list of the tracks that are both in the movie and on the soundtrack CD

1: Blister In The Sun - The Violent Femmes
2: Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
3: Mirror In The Bathroom - The English Beat
4: Under Pressure - David Bowie + Queen
5: I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
6: Live & Let Die - Guns N' Roses
7: We Care A Lot - Faith No More
8: Pressure Drop - The Specials
9: Absolute Beginners - The Jam
10: Armagideon Time - The Clash
11: El Matador - Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
12: Let My Love Open The Door (E. Cola Mix) - Pete Townshend
13: Blister 2000 - Violent Femmes

And here's a track listing from the second CD soundtrack for the movie

1: Rudy, A Message To You - The Specials
2: Cities In Dust - Siouxsie & The Banshees
3: The Killing Moon - Echo & The Bunnymen
4: Monkey Gone To Heaven - The Pixies
5: Lorca's Novena - The Pogues
6: Go! - Tones On Tail
7: Let It Whip - The Dazz Band
8: The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight - Dominatrix
9: War Cry - Joe Strummer
10: White Lines - Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel
11: Take On Me - A-Ha
12: You're Wondering Now - The Specials

And because I promised at the beginning here is a complete list of all other John Cusack movies

America's Sweethearts ( 2001 ) Serendipity ( 2001 ) High Fidelity ( 2000 ) Pushing Tin ( 1999 ) The Jack Bull ( 1999 ) This Is My Father ( 1999 ) Cradle Will Rock ( 1999 ) Being John Malkovich ( 1999 ) The Magical Journey of Anastasia ( 1998 ) Chicago Cab ( 1998 ) The Thin Red Line ( 1998 ) Con Air ( 1997 ) Anastasia ( 1997 ) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ( 1997 ) Meia-Noite No Jardim Do Bem E Do Mal ( 1997 ) City Hall ( 1996 ) Bullets Over Broadway ( 1994 ) The Road to Wellville ( 1994 ) Floundering ( 1994 ) Map of the Human Heart ( 1993 ) Money for Nothing ( 1993 ) Roadside Prophets ( 1992 ) Bob Roberts ( 1992 ) Shadows and Fog ( 1992 ) True Colors ( 1991 ) The Grifters ( 1990 ) Fat Man and Little Boy ( 1989 ) Say Anything... ( 1989 ) Eight Men Out ( 1988 ) Elvis Stories ( 1988 ) Tapeheads ( 1988 ) Hot Pursuit ( 1987 ) One Crazy Summer ( 1986 ) Better Off Dead ( 1985 ) The Journey of Natty Gann ( 1985 ) The Sure Thing ( 1985 ) Sixteen Candles ( 1984 ) and Class ( not sure when that was made )

The DVD itself has very little in the way of extras only having the usual multi language and chapter skip options so don't expect long behind the scenes clips or anything like that.

If, like me you are a fan of Cusack’s work you will not regret watching this movie and if I could I would give this 10 stars instead of the 5 that I can.