Grosse Point Blank (1997)

Debi: You're a psychopath.

Marty: No, no. Psychopaths kill for no reason. I kill for *money*. It's a *job*. That didn't come out right.

Martin Blank (John Cusack) is tired of his job and feels he had made a huge mistake in both his chosen career and his decision years before to run away from home and leave his girlfriend waiting for him on the night of the prom. When he gets an invitation for his 10-year high school reunion he is initially conflicted about going. He feels, like many of us, that he is defined in the eyes of others by his job. He worries how he will stack up compared to his classmates as he has no wife and no kids. Martin Blank, by the way, is an international assassin for hire.

Martin does go back home where he meets up with old friends, including his old sweetheart Debi (Minnie Driver), who he hopes to win back, all the while dealing rival hitmen, government spies and a contract that he keeps putting off. Filled with great eighties music, funny jokes and cool shootouts, Grosse Point Blank is definitely fun for all the family.

The main point the movie tries to make is that people are not defined by jobs or by past mistakes, however it doesn’t really tell us what people exactly are defined by. Martin is tired by his job because there is no excitement anymore. He isn’t particularly bothered by the fact that he kills people, remarking that if he gets a job it must be because they did something. He’s not even that interested in relationships (Debi not withstanding); he is just unhappy and wants a change.

All references come from IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119229/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Click here to buy Grosse Point Blank: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grosse-Pointe-Blank-John-Cusack/dp/B00004CXYL/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1393784457&sr=1-1&keywords=grosse+pointe+blank