Brick (Sundance: 2005; Theatrical: 2006)

[Pulpmariachi]

Keep up with me now.

I went through a lot to see this movie. I remember first hearing about it while watching "The Constant Gardener" DVD in January and thinking, "Huh, that looks like one of my movies. Hooray for archetypes." I wanted to see it as soon as the trailer ended.

For the next couple months I waited. I went to the Web site all the time, bought the soundtrack, and read excerpts from the novella, all of which were really horrible ideas on my part because they just made me want to see this movie even more.

And it was finally released, but only in one place in Colorado: Denver. For one week I couldn't see it and it drove me insane.

Finally the day came around to see the movie and my friend and I got lost in Denver, renaming it Colorado's anus and just generally cursing the city a lot.

The reason I mention all of this is because the movie was worth it. Everything.

Rian Johnson's movie starts out as a gimmick (what if a Dashiell Hammett novel was set in high school?) but it quickly moves on from there. It becomes its own story, with its own characters and everything like that. It's not a send-up of those classic noir films at all, it's a part of them, except with high schoolers.

The movie is about Brenden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose ex-girlfriend has just turned up dead. A quick "two days previous" segment tells us that she's gotten mixed up in something over her head. After her death, Brenden decides that his only choice is to find out who killed Emily. Armed with his contact, The Brain (Matthew O'Leary), Brenden uncovers an underground drug operation led by The Pin (Lukas Haas), who's old at twenty-six.

It is a whodunnitmystery of the most elaborate kind. There are extremely compelling characters who speak like Hammett gumshoe detectives. In fact, the entire high school seems to have been just frozen in the '40s, but that's called heightened reality.

All the actors give wonderful performances, and they have to because without them utterly convinced that this is the way they speak on a day-to-day basis.

The film is a mystery so there are clues littered all over the place, as well as great suspence all around. The film just gets extremley dark somewhere around the middle, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Brick" is only playing in select areas at the moment. Given the chance I think it could take off and become THE indie film of this year (much like "Brokeback Mountain" was the indie film of last and "Napolean Dynamite" previous, and "Donnie Darko" whenever that was released, the only exception being that this movie is better than ANY of them). It has that potential because of its brilliance.

True, some people may just not get it--I heard of a theater having to pass out a glossary for people to be able to know what the words mean, but any film noir fan should have no problem figuring it out.

Looking out at the rest of this year and judging by the previews that have so far been released, I don't think I'm going to see anything that tops this movie. Immediatley after walking out of the theater I wanted to go see it again.

It's a brilliant brillaint film and I loved it. Now, I think I'll just stand here and bleed at you.

A+.

[ZapRowsdower]

2005 or not, of all the movies released theatrically THIS year, Brick is the best. It was a breath of the freshest fucking air I have breathed since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Johnson didn't second-guess high school students (on the contrary, I believe he may have given them too much credit, but I'll get into that shortly), defies convention, and reminds us all of the glory days of Film Noir.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in Humphrey Bogart mode the entire picture. I didn't know anyone in high school who came even close to reminding me of Humphrey Bogart. But unrealistic as it is, it adds a sort of expressionistic quality to the picture. You can't make film noir with the way teens actually talk.

I also enjoyed how from time to time the whole thing is put into perspective and we are reminded that the characters are High School students. That was cool, too.

So, Pulp, I agree with you. This was THE indie movie of the year (although in 2004, Sideways was higher regarded than Napoleon Dynamite), and did not disappoint.

[Pulpmariachi]

iamthesmitty said:

So, Pulp, I agree with you. This was THE indie movie of the year (although in 2004, Sideways was higher regarded than Napoleon Dynamite), and did not disappoint.

Yeah, but more people saw "Napolean", ya know. It was the sleeper hit, which I think this definitley has the chance to be, if Focus Features plays their cards right.

[Quorthon]

So it's a Noir kind of film set in a High School, in modern times, but with a flavor of the 40's?

Am I getting this right?

[ZapRowsdower]

Yep... That delicious 40's flavor. A rare Hollywood delicacy.

Pun 50% intended. The other 50%, I'm being serious.

[Pulpmariachi]

I'd attribute it more to the Hammett novels of the 20s and 30s than the noir films of the 40s, actually. Rian Johnson listed the books as inspiring him more than the films (but specifically, the film that inspired him most was "Miller's Crossing", which is on my must-watch list). He wouldn't let any of his actors watch any Bogart movies during production.

[Phoenix]

Watched this on DVD this weekend.

It was interesting concept although I found the dialogue to be a bit stunted at times (or perhaps the young actors were stumbling over their cleverly written lines) but overall I liked it. The ending isn't particularly clever but I did not expect it to be. Most film noirs end in one way and this was just following that formula.

Overall, a nice Indy film. There should be more like these.

6/10

[Bartwald]

Watched it yesterday and - sorry to all - didn't like it much. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was good as the main character and there's no denying the film was beautifully shot and damn well edited - but boy did it bore me! Honestly - I didn't find this plot either interesting or fresh, and the idea of kids talking "noir" wore thin pretty soon. I forced myself to watch it till the end, and, having borrowed two movies from a friend, I just cursed myself for not choosing to watch Inside Man instead of this.