Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

Having waxed ecstatic yesterday about the charms of John Cusack, I decided to revisit the above movie in which he shines.  It's a black comedy which for once is both dark and funny.  The title is a pun recalling the Lee Marvin noir "Point Blank" combined with the name of the wealthy Detroit suburb where our hero Martin Blank grew up.  Having deserted his high school sweetheart ten years previously on prom night, he returns for the school reunion which fits in with his latest assignment as a hired assassin; try explaining that to your old school friends as to what you do for a living!  The old girlfriend in question is played by Minnie Driver during her brief period as a star (as opposed to the many awful films she has made since), and her chemistry with Cusack is remarkable.  Concurrent with the above we have a number of killers trying to dispatch Cusack because he doesn't want to join forces with another totally unlikely killer played by Dan Aykroyd; one of those after him is Hong Kong favourite villain Benny Urquidez of whom I have written previously.  For someone who was an undefeated world kickboxing champion, he never wins out in his film appearances and Cusack manages to finish him off with a freebie advertising pen.  Meanwhile in the background we have some nice turns from Cusack's sister Joan as his office manager/Girl Friday and Alan Arkin as his extremely reluctant psychotherapist, all blessed with a sharp, clever script.