Classic Scene: Grosse Pointe Blank - "And I know where you live."

DIE SZENERIE: Seit fünf Jahren arbeitet Martin Blank (John Cusack) als freiberuflicher Auftragskiller. In letzter Zeit sind jedoch einige seiner Aufträge nicht so gelaufen, wie er sich das vorgestellt hat. Hinzu kommt eine Einladung zum zehnjährigen Klassentreffen seines High School Jahrgangs, zu dem Martin eher ungern gehen möchte. Um seine Spannungen und Probleme etwas abzubauen, sucht er die Therapie beim anerkannten Psychologen Dr. Oatman (Alan Arkin) auf. Dieser hat verständlicherweise jedoch sehr ungern einen Auftragskiller als Patienten.

INT. DR. OATMAN'S OFFICE
- DAY

Martin slouches on a leather couch. He seems to be breaking the fourth wall, looking directly in the camera.

MARTIN: So I got invited to my ten-year high school reunion. I’m conflicted. I mean I don’t know if I really want to go. It’s in Detroit, you know, and I grew up there, but I just honestly don’t know...what I have in common with those people anymore. I mean, or with anyone, really. I mean, they’ll have husbands and wives...and children and houses and dogs, and, you know, they’ll have made themselves a part of something, and they can talk about what they do, and what I’m gonna say? “I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How have you been?” I’m just thinking it’ll be depressing. (emphazising) It’ll be depressing.

The shot cuts and we see, that Martin in fact is not speaking to the audience but to Dr. Oatman, who looks absent mindedly on his desk.

MARTIN: (cont.) Shouldn’t you be taking notes or something?

Dr. Oatman looks up.

DR. OATMAN: (surly) I’m not taking notes, Martin, because I’m not your doctor.

MARTIN: Please don’t start with that stuff again.

DR. OATMAN: Martin, I’m emotionally involved with you.

Martin leans forward in his armchair, a curious expression on his face.

MARTIN: How are you emotionally involved with me?

DR. OATMAN: I’m afraid of you.

MARTIN: You’re afraid of me.

DR. OATMAN: And that constitutes an emotional involvement and it would be unethical for me to work with you under those circumstances.

Oatman feels obviously uncomfortable with Martins presence in his office.

MARTIN: Don’t you think maybe you’re just upset because I told you what I do for a living and you got upset and you’re letting it interfere with our dynamic?

DR. OATMAN: (raises his hand in defence) Whoa! Martin, you didn’t tell me what you did for a living...

MARTIN: (interrupts) Yes, I did.

DR. OATMAN: (cont.) You didn’t tell me what you did for a living for four sessions. Then you told me and I said, “I don’t wanna work with you.” And yet you come back every week at the same time. That’s a difficulty for me. On top of that, if you’ve committed a crime, or if you're thinking of committing a crime, I have to tell the authorities.

MARTIN: I know the law, okay? But I don’t want to be withholding. I’m very serious about this process. (pauses) And I know where you live.

DR. OATMAN: Oh, now. See. (stands up) That wasn’t a nice thing to say. That wasn’t designed to make me feel good. That’s a kind of a ... not-to-subtle intimidation. And I ... uh -- I get filled with anxiety when you talk about something like that.

MARTIN: (smiles) Come on. Come on. I was just kidding, all right? The thought never crossed my mind.

DR. OATMAN: (persisting) You did think of it, Martin. You thought of it and then you said it. And now I’m left with...uh -- the aftermath of that...thinking I gotta -- I gotta be creative in a real interesting way now or Martin’s gonna blow my brains out. You’re holding me hostage here. That’s not right.

MARTIN: I just wanna work, okay? There are some issues that I need to work out in my life. I’ve read your books. Your best sellers, on the top 20.

DR. OATMAN: They were both ghost written, Martin.

MARTIN: What? The Annihilation of Death?

DR. OATMAN: (tired) Yeah.

MARTIN: (cont.) Kill Who? A Warrior’s Dilemma. I read it. The New York Times top 20.

DR. OATMAN: (resigning) Well, I -- I don’t know what to say.

MARTIN: Well, what do you say to other patients, you know? I don’t know. How does it work? Ask me how I’m feeling.

DR. OATMAN: (automatic) How do you feel?

MARTIN: I’m feelin’ uneasy, man. Um, I’m just dispassionate. I’m bored. I’m -- It’s hard to stay in a good mood. I’ve had problems at work. You know, concept/execution stuff. And I’m just ill at ease.

DR. OATMAN: Well, look, Martin, I don’t want to suggest anything that might be uncomfortable for you...but you might consider –- just consider the possibility that part of your problem...part of the thing that’s making you so miserable is the angst over killing a lot of people. Maybe -- just put it in the background there.

MARTIN: Come on. I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there. Okay? I don’t care about that stuff.

DR. OATMAN: You don’t care about what stuff?

MARTIN: You know, morality.

DR. OATMAN: Hmm.

MARTIN: I don’t want to talk about work...because I don’t think necessarily what a person does for a living reflects who he is. So what do we do? We talk about dreams? Or what’s next? What’s next? What’s the score here?

DR. OATMAN: (helpless) We’ll talk about dreams. We can talk about dreams. It’s your nickel.

MARTIN: Sure. Uh, I had another one about Debi.

DR. OATMAN: That girl you’re obsessed with?

MARTIN: Don’t you think “obsessed” is a strong word?

DR. OATMAN: (sardonic) Uh, recurring dreams of loss and pain for ten years featuring the same person. Yeah, maybe that’s a bit excessive.

MARTIN: Um, I had one where I was, uh, that television mechanical rabbit. You know, with the-the-the--

Martin makes clapping gestures with his hands.

DR. OATMAN: The battery bunny?

MARTIN: Yeah. I was the bunny.

DR. OATMAN: That sounds like a very, very depressed dream.

MARTIN: (puzzled) Really?

DR. OATMAN: Yes.

MARTIN: Why?

DR. OATMAN: (on edge) Martin, it’s a terrible dream! It’s a depressing dream to dream about that rabbit. It’s got no brain. It’s got no blood. It’s got no anima.

He gestures wildly and starts to mimic the battery bunny.

DR. OATMAN: (cont.) It just keeps banging on those meaningless cymbals endlessly...and going and going and going.

Martin stares at him, Oatman pauses.

DR. OATMAN V.O.: (cont.) Time is up.

Martin looks at his wristwatch in wonder.

MARTIN: Time’s up already? You really wanna do half a session? (pauses) Could we just pretend we have a normal doctor/patient relationship? I’ll ask you a piece of advise and you give me an answer? You know –- advice. Should I go to the reunion?

DR. OATMAN: (giving up) Yes, yes. Get out of town.

MARTIN: (stands up in relish) Thank you.

DR. OATMAN: (cont.) Go see some old friends. Have some punch. Visit with what’s-her-name.

MARTIN: Debi.

DR. OATMAN: Debi. (pauses) Don’t kill anybody for a few days. See what if feels like.

MARTIN: All right. I’ll give it a shot.

DR. OATMAN: No, no. Don’t give it a shot. (they shake hands) Don’t shoot anything.

While Martins leaves, Oatman leans exhausted against the wall.