Tuesday 18 May 2010

One Of Those Moments - "Grosse Pointe Blank" (Part 2)



Grosse Pointe Blank (1997 - George Armitage)

Not moments after Martin Blank holds that smiling little baby boy, he's brought right back to his real life - being a professional killer. He strolls by his old locker and runs into a nemesis who has been sent to rub him out. What follows is a short, but wonderfully brutal fight against the locker bay. Perfectly matched to The English Beat's driving "Mirror In The Bathroom" (apologies to those who knew them as The Beat - I first knew them with the additional monicker attached), it feels quite authentic.










After clearing his mind for a few moments with the baby and possibly even imagining a new life with his old girlfriend, Blank is right back where he started. His face is filled with resignation as he unwillingly dispatches his would-be-killer.


2 comments:

dave_or_did said...

I revisited this last year and still loved it. The fight scene is certainly brutal. John Cusack does a lot of kickboxing I've heard and he's up against the legend that is Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, 8-time World Kickboxing Champion, which would explain the authenticity. John Cusack should do more martial arts movies - although he's knocking on a bit now.

Bob Turnbull said...

Thanks Dave...Didn't realize who his opponent was (I should really do some, what do you call it, research occasionally...).

Apparently Urquidez was undefeated for 27 years in kickboxing with a record of 200 wins and 0 losses and 63 title defenses. He is the longest reigning champion in the history of professional sports - any professional sport.