Learning from Movies: Grosse Pointe Blank

In 1997, a movie came out that recapitulated John Cusack’s career.

He got to shoot up a bicycle messenger (clearly revenge against the “I want my two dollars” kid from Better Off Dead). He got to beat up Benny “the Jet” Urquidez (a champion kick-boxer who trained Cusack for this movie, clearly a ritual slaying of Lloyd Dobler and “the sport of the future” from Say Anything…).

Of course, if Cusack is shooting people and beating people up, I must be talking about either Con Air, or Grosse Pointe Blank.

Obviously, I’d rather talk about the more highly rated film.


Plus, GPB has a way better soundtrack and it’s more fun to watch Dan Aykroyd overact than Nic Cage.

Dark humor, and maybe some inspiration, after the break.

• There's nowhere you can go that you haven't learned how to go in time. Whatever the Hell that means.
• Don’t tease the hitman.
• I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there.
• If you don’t want to talk about work because work doesn’t necessarily reflect who a person is, then the disconnect between what you do and who you are could be the root of your issues.
• Everybody's coming back to take stock of their lives. You know what I say? Leave your livestock alone.
• Where are all the good men dead, in the heart or in the head?
• You can’t go home again, but I guess you can shop there.
• You don’t get dental as a professional killer.
• If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's, well, broken.
• A BMW is sacrilege in Detroit
• If they double booked the job and/or they’re going to kill me, I’d really like to know.
• Sometimes a swift, spiritual, kick to the head that alters your reality forever is just what you need.
• Don’t rush to judge the psycho until all the facts are in. Psychopaths kill for no reason. Hitmen kill for money. It's a job. That didn't come out right…
• Lone gunman! Loner! Get it? You don’t become a professional hitman because you like relationships.
• I lead a weekend men's group; we specialize in ritual killings.
• I am at home with the me. I am rooted in the me who is on this adventure. This is me breathing. Don’t kill anybody.
• It's been so long, I've forgotten who gets tied up.
• There is no us. We don't exist. So who do you wanna hit, man?
• A thousand innocent people get killed every day! But a millionaire's pet gets detonated, and you're marked for life.
• Some of these guys need some kind of ethical philosophy to justify it, some guys like "live free or die," but that's all bullshit, I know that now, that's all bullshit. You do it because you were trained to do it, because you were encouraged to do it, and because, eventually, you, you know... get to like it. I know that sounds bad...
• Why does everyone always think it's personal?
• I'm not going to kill you, either because I'm in love with your daughter or because I've found a new respect for life.

I say forget about forgiving and just accept. And get the hell out of town.