150 Greatest Movie Performances Of All Time

Part one (150-121)

By Total FilmDec 8th 2008

20. 132. John Cusack - Martin Q Blank, Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

In Cusack’s eyes Martin Blank is a metaphor for the moral double think of the Bush White House (“How can they do those things and then go back to their families? It’s schizophrenic”).

And it’s that dualism which makes the neurotic hitman the actor’s standout – full of the slick charm and vulnerability on which his early romcom hits were built, but intelligently fused with a darker existential edge.

He even gets to show off his fighting skills in a compact corridor kick-boxing thrashabout, short and sharp. Surprising, sophisticated and deadly cool.

Greatest Moment: Left holding the baby at a High School reunion.

Also See: Lloyd Dobler (Say Anything), Roy Dillon (The Grifters), Craig Schwartz (Being John Malkovich).

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