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Directed by: Rian Johnson Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Nora Zehetner As the winner of last year's Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision, Rian Johnson has created a distinctly unique film with his first directorial effort. The single best way to describe this movie is a film-noir style detective story set in a modern day California high school. The story follows Brendan Frye on a quest through the seedy underworld of his highschool as he investigates the disappearance of his girlfriend. Along the way he encounters all the usual archetypes of the high school setting, the jocks, the popular girls, the potheads; navigating them all with slicing Bogart-esque diaglogue. The hardest thing to grasp is that the characters don't speak like you think they should, the dialogue is straight out of a noir film from the 40's, with Gordon-Levitt's hard-boiled protagonist delivering lines that are sometimes intimidating and sometimes very humorous. With all the double-crosses and twists and turns I found the plot to be a bit confusing at times, however there's a wrap up sequence near the end that clarifies things for the bewildered movie patron. I fully admit I didn't appreciate this movie for the first quarter or so of the film, until I started to "get" it. The key is to just let yourself fall into the film and appreciate it for what it is, part homage, part original creation, very clever and surprisingly funny at times. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Very unique and well written, solid performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, puzzling plot if you like that sort of thing CONS: At some points the dialogue seems a little contrived, even considering that it's trying very hard to be contrived, puzzling plot if you're not into that sort of thing ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393109/ Cypher fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Mar 28, 2006 |
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Mar 28, 2006 17:49
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saw it last night, and i have to disagree with the majority of reviewers who are hailing this film as a tribute to the old detective films. For me, the dialogue was ridiculous considering the high school setting for the film and for the plot to be believable one has to buy in that high school is serious business. I thought the mystery in the film could probably work given a different setting, but the dialogue really killed it for me; the characters almost non-stop spoke in metaphors and veiled language to the point of surpassing the realm of reality. That being said, I still enjoyed this movie after about a third of the way through it when i decided to quit trying to take the characters seriously and this movie became an enjoyable experience in the sense that it was so bad it was good. 2/5, plot not bad, setting terrible, dialogue terrible, the fights were pretty funny, and there were some good one-liners
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Apr 9, 2006 22:17
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Frogs: you're kidding, right? The dialogue is about as far and away from realistic as you can get, and it's intended to be. I'm not saying it's comparable to Shakespeare, but it is like Shakespeare in that everyone speaks in highly unnatural rhythms and diction. I don't see how you could interpret it as being in any way as intended to be realistic. Personally I found this film a sheer delight. It recalls Primer, in that it is a fairly low-budget (though not super low budget like Primer), and that it assumes the audience will be okay with dense plotting and rapid fire dialogue in a highly entertaining, but often cryptic manner. Some people have been saying it's just a glib film-school exercise in cleverness, but I think it's a deeply felt and impeccably well made film. Gordon-Levitt anchors the film as a modern high school incarnation of the classic detective, and the rest of the cast fills their roles nearly as admirably, particularly Nora Zehetner, who is a femme fatale of equal stature to Gordon-Levitt's private dick (ok, I guess that might have been a penis joke right there). Writer/Director Rian Johnson (and his friends and family) took 6 years to get the funding and actors together for this movie, filming in their home town of San Clemente CA, and that hard work shows. Particularly in the shot composition and editing; Johnson has had a lot of time to mull things over in that 6 year period, and once he got the chance, Brick was made with the confidence and poise of a veteran filmmaker. I will qualify that I'm a huge pulp/noir fan, so I think I was in prime position to fall in love with this film, but I think people who enjoy detective films or an intelligent thriller on occasion will enjoy this movie. It's also not a comedy, but personally there were several moments where I couldn't stop laughing; Johnson has a tremendous wit to accompany his vision. I will say if you can't get past the stylized nature of the dialogue or the basic conceit of "detective story in high school setting," maybe this isn't the one for you. link to movie site and trailer: http://www.brickmovie.net/ Writer/Director Rian Johnson's personal site (some very funny stuff on here): http://www.rcjohnso.com RATING: 5 out of 5
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Apr 11, 2006 10:47
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Pretty entertaining noir homage. I liked the highschool setting, definitely made it entertaining. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was really, really good. He definitely has a very bright future. The script is defnitely the apex of the film. It's very glib, smooth, and witty. The plot gets pretty convoluted at times and the ending is pretty predictable if you just consider the basic noir formula (the femme fatale is behind it all), but other than that, it's a pretty solid movie. 4/5
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Apr 12, 2006 01:07
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Just got back and I really enjoyed it a lot. This was an original idea and it was pulled off well in all categories. Visually very good (except too much lens flare for my taste) and relatively effective simulation of noir style. The script was very good, the conversational style was fluid, dynamic, and an excellent throwback to traditional noir. The acting was solid as well, with Gordon-Levitt really pulling everything together as the rugged Bogartesque lead. I wish I could add a lot more that hasn't already been said. This is definitely one I will see again for anything I may have missed. 4.5/5
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Apr 14, 2006 02:19
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Gotta agree with everyone else knocking Frogs down; the dialogue was supposed to be horribly out-of-place. My favorite aspect of this movie is how, despite the film-noir-ities of the whole thing, it keeps dragging itself back down with high school pettiness--particularly with the character of The Pin, with his comments about the Lord of the Rings books, his mother serving everyone cookies, and, probably my favorite instance of this, the back of his van, which has a lounge chair and a lamp. I thought it was superbly done--but, if the concept doesn't quite click in place for you, I could see it sucking for you. Quite bad. 5/5
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Apr 15, 2006 02:14
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When I saw it the audience liked it for the most part, but there were moments when the dialogue was so over-the-top that everyone burst out laughing. Maybe it was attempting to spoof how seriously people at that age can take themselves, but it ruined the film for me. If I were to average the film in increments, it would be nearer to a 3.5 or a 4, but as a complete body of work it gets a 1.5 from me at best. It lacked consistency and the writing pushed it from decent noir to self-parody too often. It should be noted that I'm a fan of the noir genre and still thought that it was just pathetic at times rather than genre-appropriate.
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Apr 19, 2006 07:54
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I saw and add for this online and then we went to the Arclight to see it, and it ended up being opening night, so the director popped in for a little "hello." He was quite excited about his film, and they even handed out little booklets that explained the made up dialog. I found that a pretty funny read. I've have to say I really enjoyed the film, and felt that for what it was trying to do, it really worked for me. I didn't know much about the film going into it, just that it was Film-Noir throwback style, and set in an interesting setting, with unique characters. What I got out of it was enjoyable, and well worth the $14 ticket that the arclight charges for it's friday night shows. I'd say its a film that anyone who likes film should take a good look at. 5/5
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Apr 28, 2006 23:24
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I finally got around to seeing this tonight with some friends who have little exposure to noir, and they loved it. The plot is a bit hard to follow at times with their dialogue, and the style takes some getting used to before I could get into the film, but in the end I think they pulled it off really well. I probably need a rewatch to get all the plot details that I missed. 4.5/5
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May 2, 2006 07:39
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I've been waiting to see this since I first heard about it a couple months ago and it was absolutely everything I hoped for and more. Honestly, I can't imagine even a single person criticized the "believability" aspect of the movie; the entire point of the film is to acheive an overpowering sense of surrealism by dropping a violent, adult world of drugs and crime into a high school without any explanation or acknowledgement. It's called "juxtaposition" and it's the secret behind many of the most critically acclaimed films of all time. Seriously, you might as well criticize The Matrix because "people can't really jump that high." Here's hoping no one else misses the entire purpose of the film. Anyway, as I said, the draw of this film is it's incredibly surreal atmosphere. Conceptually, it's a hardcore detective story exploring a world of drug runners and hot-headed killers, but set in an "Anytown, USA" high school and consisting almost exclusively of high school-age characters. In other words, the vast majority of the film's atmosphere comes from the blending of two completely unrelated and realistically incompatible worlds to create an alternate reality in which almost everything about high school life is turned on its head. It's a remarkable effect that I found compelling from start to finish. Part of the film's charm comes from the way it matches up the standard detective-flick characters with their underage equivelents. There's the flawwed but driven detective himself, his trusty right-hand man, the dangerous but seductive "dame", and of course, an array of sketchy but lovably human villians. Additionally, all of the requisite milestones are there: the confusing and frantic inciting incident, the run-ins with mysterious clues and questionable characters, a couple of old fashioned punch outs, a few twists and turns, and a bittersweet denouement. The parallels run even deeper, but to go into any more detail would give too much away. On top of the all the dreariness, however, the surrealism is used to excellent comic effect as well. I was even reminded of Wes Anderson at times by the quirky kitschiness, such as the lamp in Pin's van and Pin's mom giving Brendan a bowl of corn flakes. And these days, I feel it's important to clarify that I mean real, subtle Wes Anderson, not that Napolean Dynamite knock-off poo poo. I must say overall, this film does a remarkable job of balancing humor, surrealism and an ultimately dark storyline in a way that never bogs you down. The only real point of complaint I can understand is the dialogue. You quickly realize that this film isn't meant for the casual popcorn-eater after the first round of rapid-fire dialogue shoots past you. The heavy use of mostly ficticious "street talk" sounds almost like another language at first, but it quickly becomes understandable if you're paying reasonable attention. Ultimately, it gives the film not only an added sense of realism, since the characters never sound as if they're trying to keep an audience informed, but also produces yet another dimension of "detective noir" that digs the film even deeper into its unique surrealism. Ultimately, however, I liked at least 99% of this film. My problem didn't come from the accessability of the dialogue, but rather the occasionally unnatural delivery on behalf of a few of the characters. I should note first that the acting in the film-- especially one so full of no-names-- is excellent. A lot of the performances don't leap off the screen in the Oscar-sense of the word, but almost every character is owned by its actor in a way that really completes the "surreal reality" of the film's environment. That being said, however, there are at least a few obvious points in the film where Gordon-Levitt (who does an excellent job otherwise) is rifling out too much overtly-clever wordplay way too fast. One example is the "brown-bagged it" line, which I hoped would sound better in the film than the trailer, but didn't. With a script like this, where the words themselves are always dangerously close to absurdity, you have to be very delicate to make them sound believable despite being completely unbelievable by their very nature. If just a few lines were slowed down and handled with a more thoughtful pacing, this film would be absolutely flawless, but as-is I've got to dock it just slightly for this. That's my first and last complaint, however, with this remarkably unique, clever and almost addictingly entertaining film. From the first scene to the last, I never once got tired of anything I was seeing on the screen, and as you'll see, the film does a great job of keeping you guessing without actually resorting to some kind of left-field twist or unfairly obfuscated information. I loved every character, both good and bad, and was geninuely interested in seeing how their roles in the story played out. The last thing I'll say is that with so much worthless, forgettable crap coming out of Hollywood, films like this are the perfect antidote for those of us looking for something refreshing, with genuine artistic integrity and respect for the audience. On the other hand, the film [almost] never goes overboard in its cleverness-- it's not different just for the sake of being so-- it may be unique, but it's a uniqueness that actually serves to entertain the audience, rather than simply say "gently caress you" to mainstream movies. This isn't the kind of film that's meant to get you coffee-house "cred" when you tell people you like it. It's a film that's got all the benefits of the indie fringe without any of the self-indulgent baggage you'll grimace through but pretend you appreciate afterwards. It's clever as hell, but unlike 99% of the "clever" movies out there, it actually backs it up with genuine substance. Anyway, I rarely write reviews but was compelled by how awesome this film was and wanted to make sure as many people see it as possible. 6/5 - Surpassed every single expectation and was one of the coolest and most refreshing things I've seen in years. Zanzibar fucked around with this message at 03:41 on May 3, 2006 |
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May 3, 2006 03:04
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i enjoyed everything there was about this film. the clash of noir and high school was so off the wall, it's just loving rad. plus, it wasn't a spoof...the film took itself quite seriously. and one of the great things about the film is how the the characters were written so varied and distinct.
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May 7, 2006 12:11
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This film is an homage to classic film noir, and it's done very, very well. Some people may find the high school setting a little gimmicky, but I loved it, and personally found it necessary. If you took the same script and gave all the roles to adult characters, people might have viewed the film as a parody, considering how closely Rain Johnson seems to stick to conventional noir formula. But placing the film in this other setting, you somehow appreciate the craftsmanship more, despite the formula. All the actors give great performances. Everyone's playing a type, but they do so perfectly. I love the dialogue and the score. I love the nostalgia they both evoke. Best noir film since Memento. 5/5
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Jul 22, 2006 21:23
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When the movie was over, I felt a bit drained. It was very hard to keep up with the fast paced story and the even faster dialogue, and I spent a lot of time trying to collect info in my head to make sure I understood what was happening. I knew absolutely nothing about the film before I walked in, but I got the impression almost immediately that the story was a 1930s-esque gumshoe film-noir set in a high school and that all the banter was akin to that kind of film (confusing slang terms/catchphrases and such. I heard at the Sundance premiere they handed out a pamplet with definitions of all the slang used in the movie so that people could follow it better). I really enjoyed it when some of the settings reflected this 1930s atmosphere as well (like the costume party in that huge house). So I guess after it all, I realized that I enjoyed the ride, and whether or not I understood everything that happened, so long as our detective caught his man (in this case a woman), all is right in the world, and I shouldn't worry too much about the details in between. Overall I liked it, but I think I need to watch it again sometime. Oh, and the lead actor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) really shined in this film. I look forward to seeing other films he is in. 3.5/5
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Jul 28, 2006 06:38
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Cypher posted:I fully admit I didn't appreciate this movie for the first quarter or so of the film, until I started to "get" it. Interesting, I felt the exact same way. I have to say I didn't know what to expect from this movie as I'm not a big fan of the film noir genre. I had to push myself watching it past the first 30 minutes but it was worth it. The movie picks up fast from there and the plot is cleverly thought out. Also, as a non native english speaker, I had trouble understanding the dialogues at times. Subtitles are a definitive must. 4/5
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Aug 5, 2006 15:00
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Everything about this movie blew me away. Throughout the whole movie, I just kept thinking to myself, "This is loving awesome". 5.5/5
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Aug 9, 2006 03:33
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Grabbed this film as soon as it was available since I couldn't find it in theaters near where I lived. I had high hopes for it ever since I saw the trailer at ComicCon. Outstanding. Funny, well written, and everything said above about the acting is true. One of the best things about this film is just how hard boiled Brenden (the main character) is. He doesn't shrink from a fight, and will rough up a few tweakers or jocks to get what he wants, even though he isn't a big guy. Another thing I loved is the vast amount of back story they alluded to, leaving you wanting another film just to explain how Brenden got where he was in his school (his relationship with the actress, with the Brain, and his girlfriend, etc). He seemed like a normal guy before she left him. An average teenager. I would love to see something about his transformation into what he had become in the film. The juxtapositions are wonderful. The Prinicpal/staff are the fuzz, the Pin is the maffioso boss, and there are plenty of dames and muscle to round out the whole affair. Symbols and word play make for a richer experience, and there is plenty of mindless violence for those looking for blood. The metal pole... oh, lord... the sound of meat hitting steel... Pros: Dialogue, acting, characters, humor, Brenden is a baaaaad mutha. Cons: Dialogue can be confusing, story is complex, will require multiple viewing to grasp every nuance. Ending can be a bit predictable. 5.5/5
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Aug 15, 2006 18:24
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I thought the dialogue was a little too over the top for the first 20(?) minutes of the movie, but when I got to the part with Pin's mom I finally "got" it, and enjoyed it a lot more from then on. The editing was really good, and the movie looked really good overall. The acting wasn't always great, though. What bothered me was that Brendan seemed to be pretending to be a hard boiled guy instead of actually being one. Maybe that was the point or something, but I didn't get that feeling. He just seemed kind of insecure most of the time, which pulled me out of the experience a bit. I had a hard time following the plot, but that's the case with most film noir, I guess. I see what's happening, but sometimes I'm not sure of why those things are happening. I think it calls for a second viewing for me at least. Overall an enjoyable movie, though the main guy's acting felt a little lacking to me. Apart from that I enjoyed it a lot, and I feel I can recommend it to anyone that can stomach the surreal dialogue. 4/5
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Aug 20, 2006 13:50
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Count me as one of the people who didnt really get it for the first half hour and then really started to love it. I didnt know anything about the movie going in, we just rocked up to the cinema and I noticed the poster had those sundance seal of aproval logos on it. The intro was intruiging, but it took me a while to work out the premise. Im only really familiar with these old noir films in the form of parody. Once Id worked out that it was one of these old films set in a high-school I started to get it, and at about this point is when the script started taking the piss just a tiny bit, but as others have said it is still a serious film. There are some really nice sequences in there, I agree the editing is outstanding. 4/5
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Aug 22, 2006 05:36
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Loved it. Absolutely fantastic.
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Aug 28, 2006 21:42
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it was a good film, i enjoyed watching it although the having such a film set at a high school is kind of ridiculous 3/5
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Sep 2, 2006 06:21
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Just got this from Netflix, and I gotta say, it's all-around awesome. The transplanting of Jake Gittes into Sunnyvale High (or whatever) is incredible, and the shots and washed-out look really drive every point home. I had some problems with how very, very neatly everything got tied up at the end, but I don't know if modern audiences are ready to go back to true noir and the bad guys winning again.
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Nov 1, 2006 03:35
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Somehow I managed to post my own review for this and not notice this one, hahaha! loving 5/5, I love(d) this movie with all of my heart. I also thought it was wayyyyyyy better than The Maltese Falcon, if you're comparing Noir here. walrusnote aw dude you wrote up a good review, here I'll post it for you Rian Johnson really delivered with this one. Imagine Sam Spade, sixty years later, twenty-something years younger, in High School. That's basically the premise of Brick (which I thought was way better than the Maltese Falcon, though I'm a haugthy 16 year-old douche, so... ). I really, really loved Brick. Maybe it's because the dialogue was loving brilliant, or the plot took itself seriously but wasn't over-the-top and did involve some humorous moments. The characters are all very colorful and extremely well-done, but don't think for a second that this is just a character film. It's much more than that. It explores the human condition (Sup "Jerr" backstory?) in the perspective of teenagers. It details that brutal loss of innocence, y'know, the poo poo you read about in Lord of The Flies and To Kill A Mockingbird. Brendan Fry's your main character, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt really makes him come alive. I only know Joseph from 3rd Rock From The Sun, so this performance really blew me away. He's a take-no-poo poo badass, but at the same time he's compassionate and intellectual. He's also highly quoteable. I'm not going to get deep into any of the other characters, because first meeting them and then exploring them is part of the fun of this film. The plot's more than it seems, and it gets darker and darker as it progresses. At first, it just seems like a mildly extreme but normal predicament for the characters, but it turns into something that may or may not have you guessing as to what the gently caress just happened. Don't sit there thinking "that would never happen", though. At least one goon goes to the school this was filmed at and said it wasn't like the school at all, but don't think something like this would never happen. I hear talk that there are middle schools in Maryland where kids do heroin. So it's really not that farfetched. Basically, keep an open mind. This is a lovely review because I'm bored and decided to plug one of my favorite movies of all loving time, but I really want this to get more of a goon following, because it's brilllllliant. Somebody fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Apr 8, 2007 |
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Apr 8, 2007 03:05
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This is one of my new favorite movies. I liked it that much. And I even have a degree in film  Seems like the movie has been described quite enough, so I'll try to say something unique. I've come to realize that my favorite movie experiences - Fight Club, Brazil, Vertigo, Citizen Kane, Spirited Away, the Incredibles - work for me because there's a sense that the filmmaker loves making movies, and loves all the possibilities that come with the medium. Citizen Kane, for instance, has a lot of elements that came from the primary crew basically getting to do whatever they wanted at RKO - including with the effects departments - and it shows. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel like Rian Johnson has that understand that hey, this is a loving MOVIE - we can do ANYTHING! And so, he does. A lot of the 'special effects' are so well-done that I only realized how complex they really were when listening to the commentary. The black tarp/dream/scene transition, for instance, and the scene in front of the car that switches to super-fast-motion when somebody gets punched in the face. I know it's difficult at first. It was for me too - the first 15 minutes or so are very confusing. You have to turn up the sound, listen hard, and concentrate. But once you hit that point where you've adjusted to the movie, when you've calibrated yourself with its surreal world, it's fantastic. You're stuck. You're in. Also, Nora Zehetner and Meagan Good are ridiculously hot in this movie.
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Apr 10, 2007 16:46
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Zanzibar posted:This movie is kickass. What he said
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Feb 11, 2009 19:55
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Great for a  sesh +Swivel Master posted:Nora Zehetner [is] ridiculously hot in this movie.
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Feb 22, 2009 21:31
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I try to see everything Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in post-Third Rock From the Sun, and he has never really failed me. He's been my favorite actor for years and it's looking to stay that way for a long time. The film was gripping and endearing. Very worthwhile straight through to the end. 5/5.
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Feb 24, 2009 07:22
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This was my favorite movie my junior year of high school. I was already reading Dashiell Hammett, and had seen The Maltese Falcon. I'd been wanting to see a modern-day adaptation of the latter, and I believe Brick is it. Brendan is a fantastic Detective. Stoic, deadpan, damage-soaking. One of my favorite moments is Brendan calmly taking off his glasses before the fight with Brad Bramish. In the years since high school I had forgotten about it, but recently it popped into my head when I saw Gone Baby Gone -- Another great example of neo-noir, of which there are not enough. Upon reflection, I've come to the conclusion that Brick's biggest asset is also its biggest flaw: The language. Some of the lines are brilliant (I gave you Jerr to see him eaten, not to see you fed), but the quick delivery tends to leave you in the dust, along with the fact that the Detectives in the movies that Brick draws so heavily on for influence didn't use anywhere near that much slang. Even when I was addicted to the movie I thought it could use a little toning-down. One thing that took me a while to notice: Brendan's hands-in-pockets hunchy-walk is taken directly from Spike from Cowboy Bebop. Rian Johnson stated implicitly that Bebop was a strong influence as far as visuals go. I'm not complaining, mind you, I just thought it was noteworthy. And did anyone else catch May walking by with the cooler at the party? Favorite line: Laura's upper-crust. Dode's pie-pan grease. 3.5/5
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Mar 10, 2009 17:55
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