Grosse Pointe Blank
Welcome to the Guys Review, where we review media, products and experiences.
Directed by George Armitage
Screenplay by John Cusack, Steve Pink, Tom Jankiewicz, D.V. DeVincentis
Starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Cusack, Jeremy Piven
Released April 11, 1997
Budget: $15M ($24.2M in 2020)
Box Office: $31.1M ($50.1M in 2020)
Gross: $16.1M, with $28.1M coming from America, making $3M internationally.
Ratings: IMDb 7.3/10 Rotten Tomates 80% Google Users 87% Metacritic 76%
Plot:
Martin Blank Debi Newberry Grocer Marcella
It opens with Martin, played by John Cusack, on the phone, in the middle of a "job" when his assitant, Marcella, Joan Cusack, tells him about his high schools 10 year reunion. He kills his mark, supposedly saving someone else, when Dan Aykroyd's Grocer, steps out and kills who Martin had just saved. They meet up afterwards, obviously not trusting each other, and Grocer tells him he's starting an organization for assassans, which also establishes their history together. Martin wants to stay solo. We then find Martin in Miami, he devised an ingenious way to kill this mark, but trying to drip some poison into his sleeping mouth, when he moves, wakes up, and Martin has to go in and finish the job. Back at his office, Marcella tells him clients aren't happy with the snafu, which Martin says his research shows the guy should've been in deep REM, giving us an idea how much he researches. To appease the clients, Martin has to do a rush job in Detroit, of which Grosse Pointe is a suburb. He then goes and speaks to his therapist, who doesn't want to treat him. We start to learn about his highschool sweet heart, Debi. Grocer has a job pulled from him, he suspects Martin, Grocer calls someone else to take Martin out after he takes out the mark.
S:
-Opens with "I can see clearly now"... Supposedly to give you a happy disposition about assassins.
-A hitman with "scruples"
-"Whatever it is I'm doing you don't like, I'll stop doing it"....."It's not me" *BANG* Wow. Cold.
-The therapist thing is kinda funny
In Detroit, we find two guys following Martin in. Martin cruises by the radio station and we're introduced to Minnie Drivers, Debi. he goes by the high school and has an interesting conversation with an old teacher, who he tells he's going home. Martin is shown pulling up in a neighborhood, with a conveniance store. We find out this is where his home used to be, he had no idea what happened. He finds his mom in a home of some sort, obviously with some mental illness, doesn't know what happened either. Martin then goes and talks to Debi, at the radio station. It's a very strange interaction, she kisses him, and they have it out, live on air. After leaving, Martin bumps into his old friend, Paul. They ride around and catch up. Paul also tells him he brokered the deal to sell Martins house to UltiMart. He contacts Marcella saying he's made 2 spooks and ghoul so far, thinks they may have double booked or trying to kill him. Martin goes back to the UltiMart, and the ghoul shows up, a shootout occurs and the UltiMart gets blown up. He sets up a date with Debi.
S:
-All the Lincoln town cars
-The writing is pretty good, seems pretty real
-The blocking in the radio scene, the back and forth, switching chairs, etc, very good.
-How Debi doesn't blink when he says professional killer
-I like his uneasiness of sitting in a chair with his back to the door/window
-When they're smoking the joint and Paul starts screaming 10 years! Is he happy/angry?
-Again, telling someone he's a professional killer and they think it's a joke
-Martin watching Debi through his scope, good symbolism
-Silly shootout
Martin and Debi go on their date, lots of exposition about the past 10 years, and talk about going to the reunion together. He meets the pair of guys following him in the bathroom, they appear to be working with Grocer. Back at his hotel he gets the intel of who's following him, two government agents and a freelancer; that they're working with Grocer, trying to set him up for killing someone. He visits Debi and she agrees to go to the reunion with him. Grocer finds Martin, and discuss who is hunting him and why, says he doesn't want him dead, he wants to work with him. As he's preparing to go to the reunion, he calls the therapist who helps calm him down. Running late, Debi says this isn't happening again, and attempts to call Martin, to no answer, when he arrives to her house. He speaks to her father and come to terms. Tells him he's a professional killer, and he replies, good for you, it's a growth industry.
S:
-Debi is almost childlike in her childhood bedroom
-Again, another movie where guys who use lots of guns, have to cock them.
-"Bullet hole in your forehead and I'm gonna fuck it"
-This is me breathing, as he cocks the gun
They attend the reunion, after some diliberation. They go through and see some old faces, share some stories and seem very overwhelmed. Martin has a moment when he holds an old classmates baby. They run into the old bully, who's obviously drunk. Martin and Debi have a heart to heart, and Martin tells about his reoccuring dream, and apologizes for "fucking up" her life. She says it's not over yet. They dance, and go have relations in the nurses room. We see the ghoul come to the reunion. Martin encounters Bob the bully and defuses him. When finding an old joint in his locker, the ghoul attacks, and Martin kills him. Debbi finds them and freaks out, but Paul hleps him get rid of the body. Debi comes to his hotel and explains why and how he does what he does. Bedi rejects his explination and leaves him. Marcella is shown to be destroying the office, he gives her a severance and finally opens his mark folder. Its Debis dad.
S:
-The girl in the brace in an homage to Joan Cusack from 16 Candles
-Just sayin' Paul is the real ride or die bro... 10 years apart, and day two helps him dispose of a body.
-Great twist of it being Debis dad
Martin starts explaining about when his turning point started, and how he loves her, while trying to save them and not being a hit man. While Grocer and his guys are trying to kill them. Martin and Grocer talk and shoot at each other, when the government guys show up, they kill them. Martin then smashes Grocers head with a tv, while saying "Popcorn!" We see Martin and Debi in a car driving, taking pictures of each other, seemingly happy.
S:
-The shootout is excessive and fake as shit. But fun.
-Do they ever need to reload?
-Good music
Webpage: https://theguysreview.simplecast.com/
EM: theguysreviewpod@gmail.com
IG: @TheGuysReviewPod
Twitter: @The_GuysReview
FB: https://facebook.com/TheGuysReviewPod/