REVIEWS

BRICK

 

review written by David G. Stone

 

Brick is one of the most brilliant pieces of filmmaking to be released in a long time, and is definitely the first great film of the 2006. There is more originality and perfectly designed drama in this one film than a handful of studio products put together. Deeply disturbing and profoundly invigorating, this is a hard- nosed noir about a high school student investigating the disappearance of his ex- girlfriend.

 

Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a teenage version of Mike Hammer, quick with his fists and quicker with his mouth, receives a mysterious phone call from Emily (Emilie de Ravin), his ex, at a pay- phone that leads him to investigate her disappearance and uncover a troubling society lying beneath the tranquil façade of high school sociality.

 

The plot is loaded with twists and turns that threaten to lose even the most attentive viewer, but a blend of unique characters and Brendan’s frequent re- visiting of the facts in the classic noir keeps the film within the bounds of an audience’s attention. Be- tween the dark poetic rhapsody of the dialogue and accelerating rhythm of the story as Brendan’s investigation evolves, there is plenty to get lost in and still come out of Brick craving more. In fact, this is one of those films that could take two or three good viewings to really get every- thing that’s happening.

 

The visual style of director Rian Johnson is dynamically engaging and keeps the story fresh and intriguing with each new twist and turn. Johnson also wrote the screenplay, and his presence and ability to command such a complex narrative with a troupe of distinct characters is impressive, as this is his debut directing feature films.

 

While the film is highly character driven, and the acting is superb – Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines in a role that he could have been born for – there is a fairly even distribution and interconnection of plot and character and relationship development. In fact, more than the characters or the plot, it is the complex relationships betweens these characters that carry the film; everyone and everything about this film is so serious and dark that it’s easy to forget that these are high school students.

 

As with any noir, Brick has its femme fatale and love    interest, Laura Dannon (Nora Zehetner), it’s crime boss, The Pin (Lukas Hass), and the muscle, Tugger (Noah Fleiss). Nora Zehetner has a cool sexiness about her as the calculating Laura, and while she’s been seen on TV and in films in the past, this may be her breakout role.

 

The film had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 and took home the Originality of Vision award, and is a fine ex- ample of what the highly commercialized festival can do for smaller films with a vision. This is definitely not the type of film that would make it through the studio system and come out with its integrity intact.

 

More than just a story about high school students, this film is different; it is mature on a level that most films about adults do not achieve, and it uses the high school and its students as contained environment for a distressing commentary about modern-day society.

 

Noir to it’s very core, the slow jazzy score sets the tone, and despite a few moments of thrill and excitement the film remains focused on the development of the investigation and the mystery rather than allowing it to be overrun by action.

 

What Brick is, is a must see contemporary noir that will leave you begging for more.