He left home a boy. He came back a contract killer with feelings.
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) is a wickedly sharp, dark comedy that blends action, romance, and existential crisis with a bullet-riddled wink. Directed by George Armitage and starring a perfectly cast John Cusack, the film spins a tale of midlife panic, unhealed wounds, and the bizarre complications of running into your high school sweetheart—while you're on a paid mission to kill someone.
Martin Blank (Cusack) is a highly skilled, clinically detached contract killer who’s burned out, paranoid, and emotionally stalled. When his latest job falls apart, his quirky therapist refuses to see him anymore, and he's invited to his 10-year high school reunion in Grosse Pointe, Michigan—right around the time his new assignment sends him back to that exact town.
Under pressure from a government agent, a rival assassin (Dan Aykroyd, hilariously unhinged), and his own existential dread, Martin agrees to go. But returning home opens more than just old wounds. He reconnects with Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), the girl he ditched on prom night without a word—and who now hosts a sarcastic radio show and isn’t in the mood to forgive easily.
As Martin juggles rekindled feelings, contract killings, and philosophical breakdowns, the film dances between action and absurdity, all set to a killer 80s soundtrack (The Clash, The Violent Femmes, David Bowie). Cusack’s dry delivery and deadpan wit carry the emotional weight with grace, while Aykroyd provides chaotic menace in a role that feels like comic noir on caffeine.
Underneath the jokes and gunfire, Grosse Pointe Blank is a sly meditation on identity, regret, and whether redemption is even possible. Can you start over when your past involves murder for hire? And can someone who’s good at killing learn to be good at living?
With equal parts charm, chaos, and catharsis, the film finds an answer: Only if you bring flowers to the reunion. And maybe a silencer.
