:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Nora Zehetner,
more...
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Rian Johnson,
Rian Johnson
see all cast/crew...
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: Universal Studios
: Drama, Independent, Coming of Age , Crime, Cops
: 110 min.
: English
: Spanish, French
see additional details...
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A tough-talking teen attempts to uncover his ex-girlfriend's killer in director Rian Johnson's hard-boiled high-school noir, told in the style of a Dashiell Hammett mystery. An outsider by nature, Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is forced to penetrate the elaborate ranks of the high-school social scene and its more insidious underbelly when the body of his former girlfriend Emily is found lying lifeless in a remote creek. Though the pair had been on the outs, Brendan can't seem to shake the hysterical phone call that he received from Emily the day before her body was discovered, a call in which she rattled off a number of cryptic words: "brick," "pin," "tug," "poor Frisco." He's determined to find the guilty party, and to do that he'll need to uncover the meaning behind her enigmatic phone call. From the highest-ranking athlete to the lowest-level burnout, no one is above suspicion of leaving her in that creek or putting her in the position to end up there. Brendan's skill for getting the right attention from the right people leads him to a local drug dealer of urban-legendary status (Lukas Haas), who walks with a cane and lives with his mother. As Brendan infiltrates the social and political web more deeply, his theory solidifies and each player's role becomes clear, from the shifty-eyed pot slinger to an upper-crust innocent who may well be a femme fatale. Brendan may soon be ready to make his case, even if it's too late for him to get out. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
GreenCine Says:
Brick (2006). The slangy, teen-noir is Raymond Chandler reimagined for modern day Orange County, and, adds GreenCine's Craig Phillips on Guru, while the film "takes a bit of time to get accustomed to - as if we, the audience, were collectively given a new eyeglass prescription and have to adjust to seeing a certain way - stick with it. Brick is a breakout debut, and one of the best films of 2006."
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| it may talk like noir but that don't make it good
by bennye
May 1, 2008 - 10:19 AM PDT
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1 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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| Supposin' this movie starts with a dead body and a boy caught between two women like ketchup between a hotdog and a bun. Now supposin' I tell you that it still ain't worth the 70 cents of electricity you'll burn watching this attempt at high school noir? Skip it and watch High School Confidential instead. |
| damn good.
by FOlmstead
September 19, 2006 - 11:44 AM PDT
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8 out of 10 members found this review helpful
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I didn't think I was going to like this one. I love film noir, Hammett, Chandler, etc, but I had yet to see a "current" picture trumpeted as "film noir" that wasn't just a pale imitation.
Well, here it is. Set in today, a high school, with totally unreal dialogue. I don't know why that last point should bother me at all. Have you ever seen a film noir that was real? That's part of what I love... that tough talking shorthand. I don't know why, but I always thought that was how they talked "back then". Now I see it was just as unreal then.
What Rian Johnson has accomplished here is creating great dialogue, putting it in a milieau I have long since left and am therefore unfamiliar with and made one hell of a movie. The setting is brilliant. I don''t think many high scool students would get it, but I sure as hell do.
To me, the closest to this is David Lynch. Another director who, in my opinion, makes great "unreal" movies.
If you love "noir", don't miss this one.
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| Lame
by GDarcy
August 21, 2006 - 12:21 AM PDT
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4 out of 14 members found this review helpful
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| Obviously a minority viewpoint, watching this film was a cringeworthy experience. These are high school students? In whose universe? Unbelievable characters, hackneyed script. The only reason to see it is for the presence of Joseph Gordon-Leavitt--a superb actor who was gifted with this mess after the brilliant Mysterious Skin. And adding salt to the wound was the impudence of playing Sister Ray during the ending credits. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.47)
220 Votes
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