Review of Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) by Alex V — 25 Oct 2008

I now officially have a fully-developed man-crush on John Cusack. This one and High Fidelity completely embody what makes 90's Cusack so damn cool, and what makes the 90s in general so damn cool, for that matter.

Gen-X sensibilities are thrown into a movie about a killer with a conscience who decides to go home after abruptly disappearing for 10 years, leaving his high school sweetheart (played in a very 90s-woman style by Minnie Driver) waiting at her doorstep on prom night.

Cusack radiates cool, Driver keeps him in check, supporting performances by Dan Aykroyd and Jeremy Piven are hilarious, and everything is propelled forward by an 80s greatest-hits soundtrack made up of awesome new wave and ska tracks.

Not incredibly deep, but it's an interesting spin on the archetype of contract killer. A lot of the idea and running gags are extremely clever (namely, Dan's passive-aggressive relationship with Cusack and his refusal to join in his assassin worker's union), and the film never lets up or slows down.

Grade-A entertainment all-around, for sure.