Grosse Pointe Blank **** (1997, John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Cusack, Hank Azaria, Alan Arkin) – Classic Movie Review 1092

Director George Armitage’s amusingly quirky, very dark 1997 comedy drama Grosse Pointe Blank stars John Cusack, who gives an outstanding performance – one of his very best – as a man reluctant to attend his ten-year high school reunion.

He does not want to meet a girl (Minnie Driver) he ditched on prom night, nor to tell his ex-classmates that he has taken up a career as a hit-man. Soon he tries to make amends with Minnie and explain his choice of profession, but two FBI heavies and a rival hit-man are on his trail.

Grosse Pointe Blank is John Cusack’s show, but Driver, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Cusack, Hank Azaria and Alan Arkin are all excellent too. Barbara Harris (1935–2018) appears in her final film role as Mary Blank. Also in the cast are K Todd Freeman, Jeremy Piven, Mitchell Ryan, Michael Cudlitz, Benny Urquidez, Ann Cusack, D V DeVincentis, Jenna Elfman, Duffy Taylor, Audrey Kissel, Carlos Jacott and Brian Powell.

There are lots of quite big laughs in Grosse Pointe Blank, but also be prepared for some quite nasty violence.

The title presumably refers to John Boorman’s film Point Blank, though the movie does take place in Grosse Pointe (an upscale suburb of Detroit, Michigan) and the hero’s character is named Martin Blank.

John Cusack had a hand in the screenplay, along with D V DeVincentis and Steve Pink, based on Tom Jankiewicz’s story. Jankiewicz wrote the first draft of the script in 1991 after receiving an invitation to his tenth high school reunion.

There is a great soundtrack, produced by Joe Strummer, formerly of The Clash, featuring mainly independent music from the 1980s. It includes two songs from The Clash, Rudie Can’t Fail (from the album London Calling) and their cover version of Willi Williams’s Armagideon Time.

The city of Grosse Pointe Farms would not allow the film-makers to use any shots of Grosse Pointe South High School for the movie due to the presence of alcohol in the reunion scenes. So, most of the film was shot in Monrovia, California. The opening drive sequence was filmed on location in Grosse Pointe, along Lakeshore Drive.

The 2008 film War, Inc. is an informal sequel. The films are similar in style and theme, and both star John as an assassin and his sister Joan as his assistant, with Dan Aykroyd in a supporting role.

http://derekwinnert.com/point-blank/

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1092

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The actual City of Grosse Pointe: St. Paul Catholic Church at 157 Lake Shore in Grosse Pointe Farms.

The actual City of Grosse Pointe: some of the historic homes.

The Grosse Pointe waterfront at Neff Park.