Brick
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Movie Reviews of Brick
Movie Review: Rian Johnson plays out a Dashiell Hammett film noir in a high school setting
Summary: 5 Stars
To know whether or not you would be interested in watching "Brick," all you have to do is answer a rather odd little question. Are you interested in seeing a Dashiell Hammett hard-boiled detective story played out as a high school film noir? Now if you are a fan of Hammett and the book and/or movie version of "The Maltese Falcon" the idea of a teenagers spouting dialogue like they were Sam Spade and Kaspar Gutman trapped in younger bodies might be enough to put you off your lunch already. Furthermore, if you are well versed in American cinema the idea might bring to mind Alan Parker's "Bugsy Malone," which put Jodie Foster and a bunch of other pre-teens in a 1930s Chicago gangster movie. But that weird little experiment was not half bad and "Brick" is a lot more successful in trying to pull this off and is a lot closer to "Sin City" than to "Bugsy Malone." "Brick" won the Sundance Film Festival's Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision, and you have to grant writer-director Rian Johnson that much for sure.
At the start of the film, Johnson's hero Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds the dead body of Emily (Emilie de Ravin) in a drainage ditch. She had called him earlier in the day pleading for help and later saw her in the back seat of a car as it drove away. Now she is dead. So he decides to find out who killed her and starts backtracking on what she had been doing and with whom. The only one Brendan can trust is the Brain (Matt O'Leary), who is basically a walking computer who observes a lot by just watching while it seems he is working on his computer or solving a Rubik's Cube. This leads him to the high school drug ring and the major players, although not without Brendan getting his face smashed in a few times in his effort to shake things up and see what happens next.
The other players are the Pin (Lukas Haas), Tugger (Noah Fleiss), Dode (Noah Segan), and Brad Bramish (Brian J. White), with Laura (Nora Zehetner) and Kara (Meagan Good) as the femme fatales. Beyond that last alliterative appellation I do not want to say who is what because half the fun here is in watching Brendan find out who is what. The other half is listening to what these characters have to say, because the rhythms are Hammet's, but the glossary is often idiosyncratic and the dynamic is pure high school (My favorite is when Brendan is engaged in a conversation that has descended down to both parties saying "Yeah" a lot and he finally shoots back, "There's a thesaurus in the library. Yeah is under 'Y'. Go ahead, I'll wait").
While for the most part this movie takes place in a Charlie Brown world where adults are absent, there are a few notable exceptions. Brendan has been of use to Assistant Vice Principal Trueman (Richard Roundtree) in the past, but that relationship is now tenuous. However, it does suggest that the "bulls" are out there somewhere, and Brendan has to get to the bottom of things without or at least before the authorities get involved. Then there is the Pin's mother (Reedy Gibbs), whom I mention simply because very rarely do you get to see a criminal mastermind's mother putter around the kitchen making sure everybody has something to drink.
Everybody in "Brick" is dead serious about what they are doing and they never blink an eye at all of the verbiage that comes spilling out every time they start flapping their gums. The illusion of this strange reality is maintained from start to finish, when Brendan confronts the guilty party in the middle of a high school football field. At that point Johnson most clearly invites comparisons to "The Maltese Falcon" because at this point he knows that you have either bought the game plan here and will enjoy the more overt homage, or this would be the final nail in the coffin. For me the results are certainly enough to warrant rounding up on this 2005 film and to hope that Johnson can find something equally creative for his next venture. That will be hard to do, but you have to feel that based on "Brick" he might be able to carry it off and not be a one cult classic wonder.
Final Note: Is Emilie de Ravin ever allowed to play a character that is not pregnant? I am just asking, because after "Roswell" and "Lost" we are now at the point where that seems to be all she plays and I can just see Hollywood execs saying "We need an actress to play a young pregnant woman, go get Emilie de Ravin." If she ever does become pregnant for real people are going to look at her and ask what movie she is doing it for.
Movie Review: David Lynch meets Dashiell Hammett in High School
Summary: 5 Stars
Rian Johnson's debut film Brick caused something of a minor sensation among critics and discerning cineastes earlier this year when it won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, the John Cassavetes Award for the best film production with a budget under $500,000. Brick re-imagines high school life through a 1940s film noir lens as Johnson populates his film with terse, fast-talking characters and all kinds of plot twists reminiscent of a Dashiell Hammett novel.
Johnson focuses on tiny details captured in close-up shots, like a burning cigarette or lingering shots of people's shoes or, most memorably, Emily's dead hand resting in shallow water. Many of these visual cues are nods to the cinema of David Lynch, complete with a shot of a ceiling fan that evokes the surreal filmmaker's short-lived T.V. show Twin Peaks. While characters tend to speak in the same cryptic fashion of a Lynch film, the snappy dialogue that flies fast and furious between characters is more akin to the way people speak in Howard Hawks films.
Much like the Coen brothers film Miller's Crossing, Brick adopts stylized noir slang but in this case, contrasts it with a contemporary look that works surprisingly well. Like Gabriel Byrne's character in Miller's Crossing, Brendan is a smart guy who is often shown thinking as he tries to stay two steps ahead of everyone else. He is someone who is able to figure out all the angles and play them to his advantage but in the process gets repeatedly beaten up (much like Byrne's character).
Even though Brick references Lynch and the Coens, it still feels like an original work made by someone with a distinct vision. The cast is uniformly excellent and handles Johnson's stylized prose perfectly. It's a dense text that has to be delivered in a specific way for the movie to work the way it does. To his credit, Johnson makes some fascinating choices in how he frames scenes and uses unusual close-ups with a minimalist score that is atmospheric but not obvious about it. It's a movie that constantly keeps us guessing, not knowing what to expect next but he displays enough confidence in his direction that we trust him to take us wherever he wants. Brick is an amazing debut film with an ingenuous premise and such a novel way of executing it that you find yourself immediately drawn into this world that Johnson has created.
There are eight deleted and extended scenes each introduced by Johnson. There is more footage of Laura's party with the entire performance of "The Sun Whose Rays are all Ablaze" that she sings.
"The Inside Track: Casting the Roles of Laura and Dode" features audition footage of Nora Zehetner and Noah Segan reading for their roles. They are both excellent and it is obvious why they got the roles.
Finally, there is an audio commentary by writer/director Rian Johnson, actors Noah Segan and Nora Zehetner, producer Ram Bergman, production designer Jodie Tillen and costume designer Michele Posch. Johnson talks about how he started off with no connections in the film industry and that it took six to seven years of shopping around his "weird, little script" to various production companies before he finally got the chance to make his movie. Instead of having everyone talk over each other, Johnson interviews each person about their experiences making the movie. This is solid commentary track filled with lots of good observations and fascinating information on how this movie was made.
Movie Review: "There's not much chance of coming out clean..."
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say it, "Brick" is probably the best movie I have seen this year so far, and I don't think I'll see another that will top it. I had heard about "Brick" for a while now, and when I heard the premise of it, I knew that it was something that I would have to check out. I'm glad I did, because not only did I end up enjoying it the first time I saw it, but I watched it again the next day. Not many films can do that for me, but this one most certainly did. There was no way I could have ever bet that I would've ended up loving this movie the way I do.
If you're unfamiliar with the approach to the movie, it's pretty much a detective-murder-whodunit movie with a catch; it's set in modern times and it involves high school kids. Yet, the kids talk in the manner that you would expect from your typical hard-boiled detective movie. The story concerns Brendan Frye, who is contacted by his ex-girlfriend by phone. On the phone, she sounds frightened and troubled, but doesn't say much about what is the matter. Two days later, she ends up dead. Brendan knows that she got involved with the wrong crowd, so in order to find out who is responsible for her death and why, he has to go in deep into the underground drug world that has consumed a good amount of his schoolmates. The deeper he goes, the more risk he puts himself in.
This film is extremely well done and well made, and that caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting a movie like this, nor was I expecting that I would end up loving it so much. The film seems innocent and fun at a glance until you really get into it, and then you realize how dark and brutal it can get. Just because it involves high school kids, it doesn't mean it's child's play. It's film noir at its finest, and it even pokes fun at itself a little here and there, but overall it's a pretty dark and serious movie. What really sells the movie in the end is the great performances from the cast, especially the lead actor.
Because of how odd and different "Brick" is, there's a good chance that more people will end up not liking it so much. That is the risk these kinds of movies take, but it's nice to see something that isn't so "commercial friendly" for a change. It stands out, and that's something that has to be admired to some degree. I would recommend renting it first because of this. Also, I recommend that you see it more than once. As much as I liked it the first time, I really appreciated it for what it was more during the second viewing. The DVD doesn't have a whole lot to offer, sadly. There are some deleted/extended scenes, audition tapes from two of the actors in the movie, and cast/crew commentary. It's a shame that they don't give you the trailer, which I thought was really good. I also would've liked to see some behind-the-scenes features.
"Brick" took me for a ride and I have to say that I loved every minute of it. It's an exhilarating and brilliant film that takes a lot of chances without apologizing to anybody in the end. It's one you'll either love or hate, but I think it's definitely worth the time checking it out. If you're looking for something that isn't typical or dull, then I highly recommend it. It's too soon to say, but I think if you give it enough time it could become a classic. It's high up on my list of favorite movies now, and that only took two days. -Michael Crane
Movie Review: High School Confidential
Summary: 5 Stars
"Brick" uses a familiar style to tell a convential story, but it all unfolds in an unconventional way. It provides an involving story with rich characters, but in a strange way, those aren't the aspects we pay attention to. Instead, we're focused ont he way it all unfolds.
For those familar with the 1930's crime novels, or even current and well known Films Noir, this style may not be clear right away. And for those not familiar with either of the previously stated, it will never be clear, but you'll have fun watching it anyway. "Brick" tells it's narrative in the Film Noir style and the result is somewhere between 'Memento' and 'L.A Confidential.'
To provide the details of the plot would be unfair to the audience who has nto yet seen the picture. But I will say that it involves a loner high school student named Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who's recently been dumped by his girlfriend (Emilie' de Ravin). When she truns up dead in a sewage drain, he takes it upon himself to investigate the murder. Although a loner, Brendan is on the up and up with each of the high schools' social classes and it quickly becomes clear that his lack of friends is by choice.
As he questions, figths and sacrifices his way to the truth, he encounters several characters that will either help him or hurt him, sometimes both, and more than once. But the details of the plto aren't as much fun as the unique dialogue or the film's gritty look. "Brick" has been directed by Rian Johnson, a first time director who clearly shows a talent for evoking mood and energy on the screen. If the plot doesn't totally mesh, it doesn't matter, as often it would with traditional films noir. This one takes place at a modern urban High School and all the evidence doesn't have to add up; because while they are speaking and acting like they are good at scheming or investigating, they are still students in high school afterall. There is a scene that demonstrates this perfectly when a character named "The Pin" has cookies and juice served to him by his mother as he has a meeting with Brendan about 'the brick' of the film's title.
There are shocking moments in the film that surprised me. The movie has twists and turns that should be apparent early on, because the film uses the traditional cliches of the crime novel, but I was easily distracted from this by the fact that these are teenagers. Brendan occupies every moment of screen time and we know just what he knows when he knows it. We want him to solve the crime and bring justice to those responsible. Does justice come? I will not say, but finding out sure is fun.
Movie Review: Ridiculously great film!
Summary: 5 Stars
If someone were to storm into my office, throw down a heavy leather bag filled with millions of dollars, and demand a movie out of me, I'd probably make something along the lines of Brick.
A film not only masterful for its stylistic directing, but for a production that rivals anything to have come out in quite some time. Brick is sure to please the smaller group of moviegoers, meaning those that can accept the film for what it is: different.
This is a film with an imperfect blend. There is the cultist's favorite noir, the gritty suburban life of today, and the impasse teen flick that for some reason is stunningly original on a level not seen before.
The story, while complex in form, is at the core a simple mystery. Brendan Frye (Levitt) is a loner at a high school mixed with problems from the inner street. After happening upon a message from his ex-girlfriend, Frye follows the murky leads to help her out. Unfortunately, what Frye stumbles upon is a loose string of problems that seemingly bring him nonlinearly from one point to another. With each discovery is another step away from the truth and one more reminder that this may be a bad idea.
Having overstayed his welcome in teenage filler, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From The Sun, Ten Things I Hate About You) graduates with flying colors and accentuates into what might be regarded as the modern day Serpico. Levitt not only steals the film, but nails the character right smack into the skull. He takes the source material and goes the extra mile creating one of the better anti-heroes this century has seen thus far.
Everything works here. From bar none the most eccentric dialogue since 1971's A Clockwork Orange to a chilling and fitting soundtrack by composer Nathan Johnson, who takes hints from the late Bernard Herrmann. There is a mood to this film that is neither claustrophobic nor horrifying yet glides dangerously around those lines at all times.
Inarguably one of the most exciting and refreshing pictures since 2004's experimental Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Director Rian Johnson much like Michael Gondry paints a modern classic that is sure to have people spinning in and out of their seats. This is a story that follows you home with characters that might be your friends.
It is a relief to have a breath of fresh air in an industry so heavily polluted with either the same thing or something less spectacular. If the year's previous films are a testament to the building blocks of American cinema, Brick is a pillar to modern film making and one not to be missed.