Brick
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Movie Reviews of Brick
Movie Review: A Very Clever and Entertaining Piece of Work
Summary: 5 Stars
There are not really any "big names" in Brick. The closest would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who, if we ignore his hand in 10 Things I Hate About You, is not well known as a movie actor but rather as Tommy on TV's "3rd Rock from the Sun." Please do not let the absence of familiar names and faces deter you from seeing Brick. I thought it was a very clever and entertaining piece of work.
Reading the synopsis provided with the movie (I apologize for not having it available) would tell you to expect an elaborate drug-related plot involving a bunch of high school students. I was drawn to the movie by the trailer from which I had little knowledge of the movie, just an unexplained interest in seeing it. I was hesitant from the synopsis, but it must not have deterred me for too long! What type of ridiculous drug plot could a handful of 16-, 17- and 18-year-old kids actually get into? How far fetched is this story line going to be?
Forget all of that. What the creative team did was take a story that has essentially become cliché in modern cinema and breathed new life into it. A disinterested, scorned man receives a cry for help from his ex-girlfriend and avails himself of a few liberties not necessarily intended for private citizens under the law only to find the trail to her is long and ultimately leads to a drug king-pin. So far so normal. What was unique to Brick was the high-school setting. You have kids living with their parents trying to uncover conspiracies between classes. Sounds ridiculous, right? Exactly. It is ridiculous. So get over it and enjoy the movie.
The way the teenagers related the drug plot to their pre-adult existence was well done and ultimately made the movie fun to watch.
Movie Review: Who took the brick?
Summary: 5 Stars
As the story opens, high school student and former drug dealer Brendan Frey (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) receives a cryptic message from his ex-girlfriend, Emily. She dropped him when she started hanging out with the popular kids, and now she's missing. Brendan's search leads him through a maze of nasty jocks and violent drug dealers and eventually leads to Emily's dead body. Now Brendan must find the killer - is it the local drug lord, the drama queen, the hit man, or the enigmatic cheerleader?
If you're looking for something really different, "Brick" is for you. Rian Johnson wrote and directed "Brick" as an homage to the film noir style of the forties. To call the characters and dialogue "hard-boiled" would be an understatement. They are all jaded and calloused and see little or no value in life. They speak in a teen/drug code that is so unique I actually had to turn on the subtitles to understand it. That didn't detract from the movie, however. Once I figured out what the slang meant, it was a fascinating new language.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has matured a lot since he was in 3rd Rock From the Sun. He carries the movie with his James Dean-charisma and brooding charm. Lukas Haas gives a subtle, eerie performance as a club-footed drug lord. There is only one adult in the movie, making the teens seem even more alone and alienated from mainstream society. This is a moody, intense, and unflinching look at the teen drug world (and it's interesting that there are no curse words, no drugs are mentioned by name, and no drugs are taken on camera.) Highly recommended.
Movie Review: I don't want to be "that guy"
Summary: 5 Stars
You know the one. The guy who defends a movie by saying its detractors "don't get it" or "missed the point". The guy who implies the so-called problem is not the confusing plot, awkward direction, poor acting, etc, but rather the viewer's intelligence. I'm going to try to avoid being "that guy" in this review, so here goes...
There is little point in reviewing this film's plot. Amazon.com and tons of reviewers have done just that. This is simply to function as an elaboration of just why "Brick" is how it is.
"Brick" is very much a genre piece. Not only that, it is part of a genre that is no longer particularly popular. Film noirs, in their purest sense, haven't been popular (or regularly made) in decades. "Brick", despite its present-day high school setting and teenage characters, is a film noir.
If you haven't seen many film noirs and thus are less comfortable with (or willing to put up with) their conventions, "Brick" may not work for you at all. The plot is convoluted, the dialogue is strange and stilted, the characters live in a sparsely-populated, seemingly self-contained world. In most genres these traits would be tsk-worthy. With noirs, which tend to focus more on atmosphere and relish ambiguity, they are accepted and often championed.
"Brick" is not going to be for everyone--what film is? If you go into this film expecting something modern or realistic, you will likely be disappointed. If you have a open mind, or at least realize what you're getting in to, you will discover a creative spin on a stagnant genre, some excellent performances (particularly Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and one of the best films in recent years.
Movie Review: "Come to see the show?"
Summary: 5 Stars
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in "Brick" as Brendan, a high school student searching for his ex-girlfriend, Emily. After they broke up, Emily started "eating lunch" with a more popular, yet mysterious crowd ("The Upper-Crust"). As he delves into their world, he finds a sickening subculture of drugs, double-crosses, and worse.
The movie is set in Orange County (San Clemente), and the movie's big hook is that it's an update of those terrific film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s. Yes, the movie sometimes comes across as "The O.C." mixed with "The Lady from Shanghai," with just a touch of "Blue Velvet." However, as such, "Brick" succeeds very well. The dialogue is full of clever pithy lines and slang that went out with Eisenhower (Beautiful woman: Do you trust me now? Brendan: Less than when I didn't trust you before.). The directing is also terrific - kudos to first time director Rian Johnson. Finally, Jospeh Gordon-Levitt makes a likeable protagonist amidst the crazy proceedings and characters, including a rather magnetic Lukas Haas as "The Pin."
Although making the film in noir style is essentially a stunt, the tone helps make the movie deeper, more satisfying - easily one of the most intricate teen dramas ever made. The plot is full of holes (what film noir isn't?), but the noir style and look smoothes out the rough edges; yes, style does sometimes trump content. There were a few times when the "Brick" verged on being a typical teen movie; fortunately, Johnson manages to get back on track. Highly recommended for fans of film noir or sophisticated teen dramas.
Movie Review: The high school underworld
Summary: 5 Stars
I guess I disagree with all of the people who wrote bad reviews. Yes, some parts of the movie are not quite realistic. It's a movie!! Movie does not equal reality. I think it provides a good look into the underworld that exists in many middle class American high schools. So if you grew up sheltered from the drug world in your high school it may be difficult to relate. However if you grew up in a high school with drug prevalence it will really resonate with you.
The movie deals heavily with drugs and their presence in American high schools. I felt that I could really relate to the movie. A guy in my high school got a bullet in the head when he didn't come up the money from a brick of coke that was fronted to him. Another guy got a gunshot wound to the leg when he knew too much about something with the message that the next one would be in his head. Four guys beat a guy to death for his wallet. I'm sorry if the movie and the plot seems unrealistic to some, perhaps if you hadn't led such a sheltered life it would seem more real to you.
The fact that the characters seem a bit too intelligent is again a product of perception. My high school group of friend's was very Dawson's Creek, our conversations seemed to be beyond our years. The main character brilliantly brings down everyone who was involved in his ex-girlfriend's death. The best revenge I've ever seen in a movie.