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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Tom Jankiewicz (story)
Tom Jankiewicz (screenplay) ...
more
Release Date:
11 April 1997 (USA) more
Tagline:
Even A Hit Man Deserves A Second Shot! more
Plot:
Martin Blank is a professional assassin. He is sent on a mission to a small Detroit suburb, Grosse Pointe, and, by coincidence, his ten-year high school reunion party is taking place there at the same time. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(25 articles)
John Cusack reflects on his career
(From Monsters and Critics. 7 November 2009, 2:58 PM, PST)
Olympic Games In Chicago And John Cusack In North Korea In Today's Twitter-Wood
(From MTV Movies Blog. 30 September 2009, 6:10 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been? more (241 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| John Cusack | ... | Martin Q. Blank | |
| Minnie Driver | ... | Debi Newberry | |
| Alan Arkin | ... | Dr. Oatman | |
| Dan Aykroyd | ... | Grocer | |
| Joan Cusack | ... | Marcella | |
| Hank Azaria | ... | Steven Lardner | |
| K. Todd Freeman | ... | Kenneth McCullers | |
| Jeremy Piven | ... | Paul Spericki | |
| Mitch Ryan | ... | Mr. Bart Newberry (as Mitchell Ryan) | |
| Michael Cudlitz | ... | Bob Destepello | |
| Benny Urquidez | ... | Felix La PuBelle | |
| Duffy Taylor | ... | Ultimart Carl | |
| Audrey Kissel | ... | Arlene | |
| Carlos Jacott | ... | Ken | |
| Brian Powell | ... | Husky Man |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence, language and some drug content.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #34841) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) (video rating: 2004) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 (TV version) | Spain:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The only shot of Grosse Pointe is the aerial shot of the road next to the lake (Lakeshore Drive) with Grosse Pointe South High School's bell tower visible in the background, the only actual shot of the school. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Martin is shown entering the Ultimart convenience store twice. more
Quotes:
Paul:
I've got to get something off my chest. Have you been home to see the old house?
Martin Q. Blank:
Yeah. Torn down in the name of convenience.
Paul:
Yeah, I brokered the deal
Martin Q. Blank:
Oh, wow. Wow.
Paul:
I tried to get a family there, but Ultimart made the best offer.
Martin Q. Blank:
Well, thank you for profiting on my childhood.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Runaway Jury (2003) more
Soundtrack:
Live and Let Die more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (241 total)
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John Cusack plays Martin Blank, a neurotic hit-man who spends all his time brooding about death, the meaning of life and the pointlessness of existence. Killing means nothing to Blank, because life itself is meaningless. What a great premise.
In true Woody Allen fashion, Blank discusses all these issues with his psychiatrist(played brilliantly by Allan Arkin), as he searches for some meaning. Anything to fill the emptiness in his life.
Pros:
1. An endless stream of witty dialogue.
2. John Cusack in an energetic performance, filled with quirks, ticks and entertaining mannerisms.
3. Dan Aykroyd as an overweight hit-man.
4. Over the top, tongue-in-cheek, John Woo styled violence.
5. Genre bending narrative (highschool reunion movie, hit-man movie, small town movie).
6. Great music.
7. John Cusack's continuous stream of existential brooding. It's Woody Allen with guns.
8. Dan Aykroyd's souped up style of dialogue delivery.
9. The priceless scene in the café where Aykroyd and Cusack face off, each with their weapons hidden in a paper bag.
10. Breezy, pacey storytelling.
11. Dan Aykroyd's attempts to set up a hit-man trade union.
Cons:
1. Minnie Driver has the facial bone structure of a caveman.
2. The 2 CIA agents are introduced, developed, and then pointlessly thrown away at the end.
3. Virtually everything with the 2 aforementioned CIG agents kills the pace of the film.
Final Verdict:
8/10- Cusack's lovable, intelligent, and effortlessly playful delivery, elevates the bland, hack direction. The script is witty and the film is well cast. A great companion piece to "High Fidelity".
The film also continues the logical evolution of the hit-man genre. From Yojimbo to Le Samourai to The Professional (1980) to Nikita to Leon to Ghost Dog to Grosse Pointe Blank. This film acts as a sort of deconstruction of the Hit-man. No longer is the hit-man an angel of death (Melville's film), or a mentally damaged human. He's a totally self aware, neurotic man. The film completely deconstructs the genre, which will probably lead to a lot of noble, somber, revisionist hit-man movies in the future.