Released in 1997, Grosse Pointe Blank was well received and appreciated in its time as a witty and incisive crime comedy, directed by George Armitage. Two decades later, it remains all of those things - but, in hindsight, it has only become clearer that the film delivered something  that continues to be rare and unusual: a host of well-written and interesting women.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that Grosse Pointe Blank is some highly progressive piece of intersectional feminism. On the contrary, all of the women are white, 'conventionally attractive,' and able-bodied. Within that narrow, limited categorisation, though, these women are all sufficiently different and fully formed as to make their individual narratives fascinating - even those that appear only briefly. This is testament to the...

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