Grosse Pointe Blank (UK)
Even a hit man deserves a second shot
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 103 mins
Retail Price: £15.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
`Grosse Pointe Blank` is the witty, dark comedy starring John Cusack (`Con Air`; `The Grifters`) that`s being hailed by both critics and audiences for its outlandish plot and irreverent humour!
Unlike his High School friends, who became respected professionals, Martin Blank (Cusack) found a lucrative career as a hit man. But the job has lost its appeal and Martin faces an uncertain future.
Now he finds himself back in his home town of Grosse Pointe to attend his ten-year High School reunion, complete one last job and take another shot at rekindling a romance with a girl he gave up on prom night (Minnie Driver - `Sleepers`).
With Dan Akroyd as a hilarious rival assassin who wants Martin to join a `union`, Grosse Pointe Blank is a killer comedy loaded with action and laughs.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Letterbox 1.85:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 Italian
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 French
Subtitle Tracks:
English
CC: English
Dutch
Directed By:
George Armitage
Written By:
John Cusack
Steve Pink
D.V. DeVincentis
Tom Jankiewicz
Starring:
Joan Cusack
Alan Arkin
Minnie Driver
John Cusack
Dan Akroyd
Casting By:
Ron Surma
Junie Lowry-Johnson
Soundtrack By:
Pete Townshend
Joe Strummer
Music From:
Johannes Brahms
Director of Photography:
Jamie Anderson
Editor:
Brian Berdan
Costume Designer:
Eugenie Bafaloukos
Production Designer:
Stephen Altman
Producer:
Jackie Rubin
Donna Roth
Steve Pink
John Cusack
Roger Birnbaum
Susan Arnold
Brent Armitage
Executive Producer:
Lata Ryan
Jonathan Glickman
Distributor:
Hollywood Pictures
Your Opinions and Comments
And the verdict? What a cool film! Cusack is brilliantly cast as the hitman who decides to go back home to his high school re-union after taking off 10 years before (and leaving girlfriend Minnie Driver in the lurch on prom night too). Of course, the real reason he returned home to Grosse Pointe was to do one last hit before retiring and getting a "real" job.
The interaction between Cusack and Dan Aykroyd (who plays a rival hitman) is excellent and very funny. The soundtrack is also brilliant with loads of those cheesy 80`s poprock hits you hoped you`d of forgotten about by now, but end up humming along to.
Features include, Interactive scene access (WOW!) and erm, thats it. But still an excellent film, and worth seeing.
That`s right there is alot of music in this film and it is all excellent. There must be about 50 different songs in this film and they all attach themselves to thier scenes perfectly.
John Cusack is excellent as the mysterious Martin Blank. He lends a strange surreality to the film as he is such a strange person containing a whole range of characters. Minnie Driver is also great, the same with veteran Dan Akroyd.
This is a truly funny film with a great running joke that isnt even a proper joke but it is just made out to be one. The fact that Martin Blank aknowledges that he wears black clothes because he is a hit man was quite tongue in cheek (and funny).
The action bits are all truly nice and are as if from another, more serious action based film. The fight scene with the pen is remenecent of a gritty kung-fu film as it is so well choreographed and played out brilliantly by John Cusack.
I mainly like this film because it has something for every part of you and every mood you may be in. It supplies the goods to all areas and will apeal to many people because of it.
This is a great movie (one of my all-time favourites). All the performances are spot on. John Cusack as the disillusioned hit man is outstanding, Minnie Driver was great, Alan Arkin was hilarious as Cusack's psychiatrist, Hank Azaria was also brilliant and I also thought Jeremy Piven as Cusack's old best friend from high school was very funny. And that's not even mentioning Dan Aykroyd as a rival hitman (hint: he's pretty funny too!).
The video transfer is pretty good, and the soundtrack is filled with some great songs. It's just a pity there are no extras… none… not even a trailer… it doesn't even bother to go to the "menu" when I put the disc in, it went straight to the film. How hard would it have been to put some filmographies and a trailer on the disc? At least then I would not have to give one of my favourite films 0/10 for extras.. and you know what makes this even worse? On the inlay card it says - to access Grosse Pointe Blank's special features please press the menu key..