Red Rock West, 1992, Columbia TriStar, Rated R, 98 minutes, director John Dahl.

"Red Rock West" is an excellent film noir, edge-of-your-seat thriller starring Nicholas Cage, Dennis Hopper, J.T. Walsh and Lara Flynn Boyle. Arriving from Texas, Michael (Cage) rolls into a sad little Wyoming town as an out of work drifter with a bad leg, following up on a promise from a friend that he can get work with a drilling crew. As we meet Michael, we see him pass two honesty tests: he does not steal from an open cash box or lie about his physical condition to a foreman. The soundtrack plays the blues and we start to care about Michael. Out of gas, out of work, and nearly out of money, Michael stops at a bar for coffee. Wayne (Walsh), the bar's owner, assumes Michael is the Texas hit man he has hired to kill his cheating wife Suzanne (Boyle.) Michael says he is the hit man and takes a down payment on the assassination. When he informs the wife of the hit, Suzanne offers him more to kill her husband. (This couple can best be described as people who deserve each other.) It looks like Michael will get paid either way, but then the real hit man, Lyle from Dallas (Hopper), comes to town and all bets are off. Hopper makes a great entrance in a black suit with red shirt, cowboy boots, big hat, Texas twang, and the soundtrack switches to country western music. There are numerous plot twists and turns and a sexual attraction between Suzanne and Michael further complicates the action. Walsh’s character is jumpy and nervous, the wind blows, the atmosphere turns ominous, and Michael just keeps trying and trying to get out of town. Watch for highway signs, trains, license plates, and hope for your favorite hit man to get out of town. " Red Rock West" holds up to multiple viewings and will appeal to fans who love thrillers, westerns, or dark comedies.

Grosse Pointe Blank, 1997, Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Rated R, 107 minutes, directed by George Armitage

"Grosse Pointe Blank" is the story of professional hit man Martin Blank (John Cusack), his 10-year high school reunion, and the girlfriend he left behind. As we meet Martin, he is at a crossroads in his life, worried over his career path and the girlfriend he deserted on prom night; the same girl he now dreams about every evening. Martin shares his anxiety with his psychiatrist, Dr. Oatman, wonderfully played by a twitchy Alan Arkin. When Dr. Oatman questions the morality of Martin’s work, Martin replies, “Chances are, if I show up at your door, you have done something to bring me there.” When Martin worries about whether to attend his reunion and attempt to get back together with Debi (Minnie Driver), Oatman advises, “Go. Get out of town. Don’t kill anyone for a few days. See how it feels.” Conveniently, Martin’s office manager, Marcella, played with high fashion and zest by Joan Cusack, books a hit for him in Detroit on the same weekend as his Grosse Pointe High School reunion. Of course, Martin takes Debi to the affair, and when his old friends ask him what he does for a living nowadays, he tells them he’s a professional hit man. No one believes him; they all think he is joking, until the scene at the locker. There are good turns by Hank Azaria, Kenneth McCullers, Mitch Ryan and Jenna Elfman. This is dark comedy, perhaps best suited to Cusack fans and anyone who has ever worried about high school reunions, or whether you can go home again. My favorite scene takes place at the Ultimart when two hit men collide (watch for the store attendant who is playing the video game). While "Grosse Pointe Blank" is much more of a comedy than "Red Rock West," it is still a suspenseful and action-driven motion picture well worth watching.