High school reunions are often trying experiences under the best of circumstances, and when a professional hit man decides to reconnect with acquaintances long gone on his tenth year reunion, there’s cause for much consternation and more than a little gunplay in George Armitage’s Grosse Pointe Blank. This droll black comedy has a smashing first half but is a bit of a letdown in the second; nevertheless, a first-rate cast does what it can to make the proceedings merry despite lots of large potholes in the plotting.
Grosse Pointe Blank (Blu-ray)
Directed by George Armitage
Studio: Hollywood
Year: 1997
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 107 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 2.0 French, Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
Region: A-B-C
MSRP: $ 20.00
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Review Date: August 3, 2012
The Film
3.5/5
Professional assassin Martin Blank (John Cusack) is having something of a career crisis five years into his freelance career, but his terrified therapist Dr. Oatman (Alan Arkin) really isn’t interested in helping him. When Martin reveals that his ten year high school reunion is coming up, the good doctor suggests maybe returning to the city of his youth (Detroit) might put his life into perspective. And as it so happens, he’s also been assigned a job in Detroit for that same weekend, so he returns to the city only to find his homestead having been bulldozed for a convenience store, his mother (Barbara Harris) retreating into the safety of Alzheimer’s, and his old sweetheart Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver) still nursing a tremendous grudge for being stood up by him on prom night. Martin is also quick to figure out that he’s being trailed by a number of assassins including his old mentor Grocer (Dan Aykroyd), two NSA agents (Hank Azaria, K. Todd Freeman), and ruthless killer Felix La PuBelle (Benny Urquidez). It’s going to be a busy weekend for Martin to work out all of these conflicts and live to talk about it.
Tom Jankiewicz, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, and John Cusack himself have written a picture perfect role for the laconic actor, and the movie’s first hour is a hilarious mixture of droll matter-of-fact attention to his job (abetted by helpful secretary/office manager Marcella (Joan Cusack) and his neurotic self involvement about his sudden lack of focus. Early scenes back home are also filled with fun as Driver’s Debi Newberry, still attracted to the caddish Martin, makes him sweat for her forgiveness as they resume their attraction. But the reunion itself isn’t nearly as much fun as it could have been, mainly due to a lack of development of the motley assortment of high school faces Martin contends with. Many of them are played by excellent actors – Jeremy Piven and Michael Cudlitz to name two of the more notable personalities – but these scenes of strain and awkwardness play flatly and extend the movie’s running time for no good purpose. The climactic shootout between all of the town full of assassins was likely a gas in its day, but Mr. & Mrs. Smith has pretty much sewn up the genre of hit men attacking hit men, and the sequence now plays rather anticlimactically. And where are the Detroit police during all of this mayhem? It may be a black comedy, but the final few scenes certainly don’t feel like anything of this earth.
John Cusack has written a dream role for himself, and he’s aces throughout. Minnie Driver’s American accent is expertly delivered, and she earns our rooting interest after the facts of her disastrous prom night are made clear. As she always manages to do, Joan Cusack makes her every scene something one anticipates greatly as she deftly navigates the gal Friday/surrogate mother role in Martin’s life. Alan Arkin, another notorious scene stealer, etches another fun supporting performance as the tentative shrink (a role that might have been expanded into even more effectiveness). Jeremy Piven, all brash bravado hiding a core of insecurity, does much with an underwritten part while Dan Aykroyd overacts (probably a bit too much) to counterbalance John Cusack’s usual underplaying. Hank Azaria and K. Todd Freeman, both wildly capable comic actors, aren’t given nearly enough of interest as the government agents. Barbara Harris is almost unrecognizable as the doddering mother in her one scene role.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is delivered faithfully in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. This is a superb transfer featuring outstanding sharpness throughout and color saturation levels that are rich but always under control. Flesh tones are also consistently appealing and true to life. Black levels are likewise very good. The film has been divided into 17 chapters.
Audio Quality
4.5/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix makes the most of the gunfire and mayhem built into the story with a very active soundfield which exploits all of the available channels throughout the presentation. Ambient sounds such as sirens and helicopters appear in the various fronts and rears, and the background score of dozens of pop tunes threads its way throughout the soundstage with aplomb. The LFE channel gets a nice workout, too, while dialogue is mostly centered though with some occasional directionality which is most welcome.
Special Features
1/5
The film’s theatrical trailer is presented in 480i and runs for 2 ¼ minutes.
The disc offers 1080p promo trailers for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Frankenweenie, and The Avengers.
In Conclusion
3.5/5 (not an average)
Grosse Pointe Blank isn’t as good as it might have been with a more creative second half and richer character development, but the film is nevertheless entertaining and worth seeing more than once. The Blu-ray offers superb picture and sound for an enjoyable moviegoing experience at home.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
