'Point': Hit Man's Remorse

If actors are walking musical instruments, then John Cusack is a wildly tuned dulcimer. He doesn’t bang big power chords, but he strums delicate and mischievous tones of his own.

The young doe-faced actor charmed his way through "Say Anything" as a sweet-natured kickboxer in sneakers and tuxedo tails who pursued class valedictorian Ione Skye. He fooled unsuspecting marks with saintly panache as the con artist in "The Grifters."

And if he couldn’t save such forgettable movies as "Road to Wellville," "Money for Nothing" and "Eight Men Out," he always left you with something: An askew glance here, a wild-card burst of humor there.

"Grosse Pointe Blank," a modestly budgeted, dark comedy, which Cusack co-wrote, co-produced and stars in, amounts to an unplugged concert for friends and family. Collaborating with scriptwriters D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink (two longtime associates from his younger, Chicago days) and Tom Jankiewicz, he has specifically designed himself a role to showcase his subtle, comic abilities. And while he’s at it, he gives roles to three siblings: Joan, Ann and Bill Cusack.

As Martin Q. Blank, John Cusack is a successful hit man with assassination burnout. After five years of plugging people for money, this gig -- lucrative as it is -- has worn thin.

"Whatever it is you don’t like," whimpers one of Martin’s targets, as he faces the final curtain, "I’ll stop doing it."

"It’s not me," says Martin apologetically.

Martin has already made some steps in the right direction. The moral cogs in his head -- long inactive -- are starting to whirr again. In one of the movie’s most enjoyable bits of business, he shares his doubts with a therapist called Dr. Oatman (Alan Arkin), who’s clearly uncomfortable with dire couch confessions. And when a job takes him to Grosse Pointe, near Detroit, Martin’s life begins its slow turnaround.

For one thing, he was raised there. His secretary Marcella (Joan Cusack), a sort of Miss Moneypenny of Murder, suggests that, since this assignment brings him to his hometown, he might consider his 10-year high school reunion, which takes place at the same time.

Martin is reluctant. What would he talk about -- the finer points of homicide? But there are forces pulling him home: He wants to find out who he is. He’s drawn back to Debi (Minnie Driver), the high-school sweetheart he left high and dry on the eve of the prom. And like all movie hit men, he has redemption on his mind.

"Don’t kill anybody for a few days, see what it feels like," suggests Dr. Oatman.

"I’ll give it a shot," says Martin.

"No, no," begs the shrink. "Don’t give it a shot."

Martin’s homecoming is a blitzkrieg of business and pleasure. There are pitched battles with Grocer (Dan Aykroyd), a rival killer who isn’t sure whether to ice Martin or invite him to pool resources; but most significantly, there’s a romantic rematch and reunion with Debi, now a radio DJ who likes to discuss her personal problems over the air.

Although Driver (who was so wonderfully perky in "Circle of Friends") is delightful, it’s the offbeat sidetracking that makes the movie, including some funny business involving Martin’s ex-high school friend, Paul (Jeremy Piven), now a balding real estate guy with women problems. There’s also an amusing shootout between Martin and yet another psycho-gunman at the Ultimart convenience store while the clerk -- festooned with headphones and playing a video game -- has no idea what’s going on.

Cusack’s talents are delicate and appealing, but not propulsive enough to lead the movie to triumph. After introducing a score of wonderfully jagged elements, "Grosse Pointe" turns its back on things dark and settles for a romantic denouement. And after a while, the movie, despite a killing here and there, curls into a ball and falls asleep. Luckily, this drop-off in the story occurs so late in the film, most viewers will have decided they’re already having a good time.

GROSSE POINTE BLANK (R) — Contains sexual situations, profanity and bouts of violence.