Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
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A professional assassin returns to his hometown for a high school reunion, only to find himself entangled in a web of old flames and new contracts.
The story
Martin Blank, a professional assassin based in Los Angeles, receives an invitation to his ten-year high school reunion in his hometown of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. While preparing for the trip, he is approached by a fellow assassin to join a union, which he refuses. During a job in Miami, a mistake forces him to kill a target, leading his client to demand he eliminate a federal whistleblower in Detroit, near his hometown. Upon arriving, Martin discovers his childhood home is gone and his mother is in a nursing home. He reconnects with his high school sweetheart, Debi Newberry, and finds himself distracted by his desire to reconcile with her while being stalked by rivals.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Martin Blank, a professional assassin in Los Angeles, travels to Grosse Pointe, Michigan, for his 10-year high school reunion. He is pursued by a rival hitman, Felix LaPoubelle, and two NSA agents. Martin reconnects with his high school sweetheart, Debi Newberry, a radio DJ. Despite his desire to reconcile with her, he is burdened by a contract to kill a federal whistleblower in Detroit. Martin discovers his mother has dementia and his childhood home is gone. During the reunion, Martin kills Felix but Debi flees in horror. Martin eventually learns the target is actually Debi's father, Bart. He abandons the contract to save Bart. In a final confrontation, Martin kills Grocer's henchmen and the NSA agents. He kills Grocer by slamming a television set over his head. Martin proposes to Debi, and they leave together, with Debi announcing on the radio that she is giving love another chance.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- George Armitage
- Writers
- Tom Jankiewicz · screenplay; D. V. DeVincentis · screenplay; Steve Pink · screenplay; John Cusack · screenplay; Tom Jankiewicz · story
- Cast and characters
- John Cusack · Martin Blank; Minnie Driver · Debi Newberry; Alan Arkin · Paul Spericki; Dan Aykroyd · Grocer; Benny Urquidez · Felix; Ann Cusack · Amy; Bill Cusack · a waiter
- Genres
- black comedy; romantic crime; crime comedy; romantic comedy
- Themes
- Reconciliation; Identity; Moral Flexibility; Class Contrast
- Tone and mood
- Black Comedy; Romantic; Action
- Premise and plot tags
- High School Reunion; Contract Killing; Road Trip; Romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- Story by Tom Jankiewicz
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was generally well-received by audiences, earning a 'B' on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 82% · review count: 73; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 27; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The title was chosen by Tom Jankiewicz while substitute teaching for an English class.; The film's script was based on an urban legend about a student who became a professional hitman.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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