On these lazy dog days of summer, I have found myself thinking about movies I really love. I saw this John Cusack classic recently for possibly my sixth or seventh time, and once again I was reminded of what a contemporary masterpiece it is.

Firstly, the film is an off-kilter romance, with Cusack’s tormented hitman, Martin Blank, returning to his hometown for two purposes: to conduct another hit and to attend his high-school reunion, where he hopes to win back his one true love, played by Minnie Driver.

There are so many memorable scenes in this movie — I have never forgotten the conversation Cusack and Driver have in the radio station where she works, 10 years after he stood her up at the prom, when he shows up out of the blue. There’s a moment when the sexual tension between them is delicious as they fight off the urge to start making out passionately.

There’s also a hilarious scene in a diner with Dan Aykroyd, the rival hitman who’s after Martin to join his hitman union. Both are terrified throughout the meal that they’re each going to gun one another down.

And long before “The Sopranos” or “Analyze This” explored the odd notion of soulless killers actually having souls and needing to work out their issues in therapy, Martin was seeing a psychologist, brilliantly played by the wonderful Alan Arkin.

There is so much that works about this movie, from the fabulous soundtrack — each song seemingly made for each scene, and Joe Strummer’s instrumental work is also stellar — to the clever dialogue and hilarious co-stars, including Jeremy Piven before the hair implants and Joan Cusack as Martin’s goofy assistant.

There’s poignancy, too, especially in the scene where Martin goes to a care facility to visit his mother, addled with Alzheimer’s, and all she has to say to him is: “You’re a handsome devil. What’s your name?”

It is, in my opinion, about as perfect as a film can get. And it doesn’t hurt that Cusack was at his absolute hottest and most engaging in this film. I’ll never forget the wide-eyed look of shock that comes over his face when Minnie Driver slaps him mid-makeout session, then the face-splitting grin that spreads across his face as he dives in for some more necking.