7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Martin Blank is a freelance hitman who starts to develop a conscience, which causes him to muff a couple of routine assignments. On the advice of his secretary and his psychiatrist, he attends his 10th year High School reunion in Grosse Pointe, Michigan (a Detroit suburb where he's also contracted to kill someone). Hot on his tail are a couple of over-enthusiastic federal agents, another assassin who wants to kill him, and Grocer, an assassin who wants him to join an "Assassin's Union."
Starring: John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, Joan CusackDark humor | 100% |
Romance | 33% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Cards on the table. Is there a better John Cusack film? Nope. Is there a better high school reunion flick? Not by my estimation. Is there a more on-target late '90s comedy to be had? Not in my collection. Is there any reason a moviegoer in 2012 shouldn't set aside two hours to host a fifteenth year reunion viewing of Grosse Point Blank? None that I can think of. Penned with a straight razor, deviously funny, fiendishly addicting, and feverishly ahead of its time, George Armitage's cult-favorite dark comedy hasn't aged gracefully; it's hardly aged at all. Yeah, its assassin vs. assassin action has soured a bit. Its late '90s digs are as quaintly dated now as the '80s flashbacks they induce, and Cusack's downbeat hitman is as much of a question mark as he was all those years ago. And yet it somehow only adds to Grosse Pointe's killer cocktail of laughs, romance, gunplay, '80s music and middle-age nostalgia, doubling down on the memories it stirs up and cashing in on two trips back through time.
Disney's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer takes its high definition shot... and misses. Minted from what appears to be a dated, DVD-era master, the image suffers from overzealous edge enhancement and thick halos (some of which will cause even the most casual of viewers to take notice); inconsistent, occasionally off-putting contrast leveling; at-times unnatural, pink-tainted fleshtones; and a few brief but thankfully minor bursts of banding and artifacting. The edge halos are the most troubling issue, though, and make a nuisance of themselves from Blank's opening hotel-window hit to his final showdown with Grocer. Noise reduction and other filtering techniques have been utilized, but not too heavily employed, as evidenced by the film's generally pleasant veneer of grain and instances of notable fine detailing, some of which are quite impressive, all things considered. Still, softness and a slight pudginess is apparent, and only a portion of it traces back to Jamie Anderson's original photography. Yes, closeups are teeming with well-preserved textures and other nuances that simply didn't come through on DVD (even though midrange shots don't fare so well). Yes, colors are warmer, primaries more vivid, black levels deeper, and delineation the tiniest bit more revealing. And yes, however problematic the presentation may be, Grosse Pointe Blank's Blu-ray debut outclasses its DVD counterpart. Not by a whole lot, though, making the hit-or-miss upgrade as rewarding as it is disappointing. A new master would have, without a doubt, produced more dramatic results. Blank is yet another highly anticipated Disney catalog title doomed to years of bargain-priced limbo.
Disney's video transfer may be riddled with issues, but its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track escapes largely unscathed. The Clash's Joe Strummer supplies Grosse Pointe's score and it sounds fantastic. Just not as fantastic as the '80s hits that accompany it. Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun," Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure," Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now," and Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door" (among many, many others). Is there a better '80s soundtrack mix on the market? Thankfully, each song is given full run of the place, filling the entire soundfield with stripped down punk vocals, buzzsaw power chords, dizzying New Wave rhythms, and whatever else might scream unforgettable '80s music, upstaging anything and everything that tries to best it. That said, the LFE channel and rear speakers are primarily devoted to the music. Gunfire, car chases and the occasional explosion delivers some healthy low-end kick and cross-channel ricochets, but the conversational nature of the film, however rapidfire it gets, makes many a scene a front-heavy affair and little more. There's a commendable amount of ambience and acoustic touches, sure. But it's all light, delicate and only mildly enveloping. The same goes for dialogue, which is crisp and clean on the whole but, every now and then, a tad stuffy and under-prioritized. Not that it matters much overall. Grosse Pointe Blank has simply never sounded better, and what few, easily shrugged off shortcomings its lossless track exhibits seem to be rooted in the film's original sound design, nothing more.
The only extra included is Grosse Pointe Blank's theatrical trailer (SD, 2 minutes).
I look forward to the day that studios stop tossing around the words "Anniversary Edition" with abandon. The words "15th Anniversary Edition" may grace the Blu-ray edition of Grosse Pointe Blank's coverart, but it should be taken as loosely as possible. The film itself still delivers, and its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is Anniversary caliber. Sadly, its video presentation is dated and dreary (despite nudging past its DVD counterpart), its supplemental package is dead and lifeless, and there isn't a new (or, really, even an old) special feature to speak of. If you love Grosse Pointe Blank as much as I do, this one will earn a place on your shelves regardless. If you've never seen it, don't let any low scores scare you away. If you're convinced a better transfer is inbound one day, then by all means keep waiting. Maybe the film's 20th Anniversary Edition will get it right.
Special Edition with Flair!
1999
30th Anniversary Edition
1993
Collector's Edition
2011
2011
Uncut Version
2000
2015
2007
2003
20th Anniversary Edition
2000
2002
20th Anniversary Edition
1998
2009
2010
Limited Edition
1993
2007
2009
2003
2004
2014
1989