In Quentin Tarantino’s two-part martial arts epicKill Bill, Uma Thurman plays a hired gun who seeks revenge against a former employer who left her for dead. In the Coen brothers’ neo-western masterpieceNo Country for Old Men, cold-blooded mercenary Anton Chigurh relentlessly pursues a hunter who stole a briefcase full of drug money. In Martin McDonagh’s existential gemIn Bruges, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as guns-for-hire hiding out in Belgium after a hit gone wrong. In Michael Mann’s neo-noir thrillerCollateral, Tom Cruise’s hitman holds Jamie Foxx’s taxi driver hostage over the course of a night of contract killings. In Bill Hader’s fantastic HBO seriesBarry– a curious mix of pitch-black comedy and philosophical profundity – a hitman finds new purpose in an L.A. acting class.
There’s an old joke that there are more fictional assassins than there are real-life contract killers. And since Keanu Reeves’ game-changing comeback vehicle launched theJohn Wickuniverse in 2014, stories about hitmen have become more prevalent than ever.John Wickcreator Derek Kolstadexplored the Marvel-sized potential for dark worldbuilding (and ultraviolent fun) in a movie about people who earn a living by killing people. Writers can’t resist telling stories about professional killers, because being paid to take human lives presents a fascinating setup for a character’s internal conflict.
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Movies about hitmen can often feel repetitive or formulaic.John Wickitself could’ve played as a run-of-the-mill revenge thriller if it wasn’t set apart by subversive selling points like Reeves’ star power, intense fight choreography, and the uniqueness of a puppy’s murder as a motivation for cinematic vengeance. As inventive spins on well-worn horror subgenres like zombies and slashers have proven, there’s always room for a fresh perspective on a tried-and-true formula. For decades,the James Bond franchise has subsistedon new filmmakers coming in with a distinctive take on its familiar episodic structure. Just under two decades beforeJohn Wickhit theaters, director George Armitage helmed his own idiosyncratic take on hitman lore – 1997’sGrosse Pointe Blank– as a quirky dark comedy.
What If John Wick Got The Therapy He Needed?
John Cusack stars inGrosse Pointe Blankas Martin Q. Blank, a professional killer who begins to regret his life choices in the run-up to his dreaded high school reunion. The insecurity and awkwardness that arise from a reunion have been fodder for comedy in countless movies, butGrosse Pointe Blank’s contract-killing context provides a wholly unique angle. Armitage leans into the action-comedy genre crossover beautifully, featuring botha John Woo-style shootoutthat culminates in the explosion of a convenience store and the hilarious juxtaposition of screwball comic flirtation on a live radio broadcast.
Blank is essentially a version of the John Wick archetype if he sought the therapy he needs. Killing people for money undoubtedly takes a psychological toll, and Blank seeks help with a therapist, Dr. Oatman, played hysterically by Alan Arkin, who turns out to be doing more harm than good. Part of Blank’s emotional catharsis – along with retiring from killing people for money – is firing his comically inept psychiatrist. Cusack is backed up by an incredible supporting cast. Alongside Arkin as his therapist, Minnie Driver plays his high school sweetheart,Dan Aykroyd plays a rival hitman, and his own sister Joan Cusack plays his assistant.
Both Keanu Reeves And John Cusack Humanized A Professional Killer
The main appeal of theJohn Wickfranchise is Keanu Reeves’ captivating performance humanizing a professional killer. In addition to committing wholeheartedly to the stunt work,Reeves plays John as a real person. He’s an assassin with near-superhuman combat skills, but he’s also a grieving husband and dog owner who lives to remember. Cusack takes a vastly different approach to do the same thing inGrosse Pointe Blank. He’s fed up with his aimless, unfulfilling career and dreams of doing something more rewarding as he confronts his past mistakes – it’s just that the unfulfilling career is wetwork and he’s forced to confront those mistakes at a high school reunion.
Cusack’s performance carries the movie, but he hasa spectacular screenplay to work from. Based on an original draft by Tom Jankiewicz but credited to Jankiewicz, D.V. DeVincentis, Cusack himself, and Steve Pink (who directed Cusack inHot Tub Time Machineand also co-wroteHigh Fidelity), the script is filled with character-driven action and makes the most of its juicy high-concept premise with razor-sharp wit. A lot of the specific dialogue was figured out on-set, but the tightly structured script gave the cast and crew the freedom to shoot that way.
Grosse Pointe Blankis a pitch-perfect pitch-black comedy that plays like aJohn Wickmoviedirected by Wes Anderson. It’s a must-see for fans of hitman thrillers, quirky dark comedies, or ideally both.
