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Building a masterpiece brick by "Brick" |
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Written by MICHAEL JAMES ALLEN
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Friday, 07 April 2006 |
The risk you always run in reviewing films is the possibility that you’re going to absolutely fall in love with one. It sounds mixed up, I’m sure, but you end up gushing and heaping too much praise on it. So let me get this out of the way right off the bat: “Brick” is one of the best and most original films I’ve seen in a long time.
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"Brick"
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 Entertainment
Art
Written and directed by Rian Johnson
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, and Matt O'Leary
Rated R for violence and drug content
Released April 7, 2006
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A film noir set in the world of a Southern California high school, “Brick” has the type of plot that, on paper, sounds pretty flimsy—you assume the entire movie will be filled with cheap jokes and winks at the audience. One of the biggest critiques I’ve heard for the movie is that it seems like an idea straight out of film school; a concept and nothing more. To some degrees this is true, but “Brick” more than makes up for it in its execution.
The plot: Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a flawless, pitch-perfect performance) is a high school outsider, an outcast to the tightly-knit cliques that populate the school. When his ex-girlfriend (Emilie de Ravin) winds up dead in a sewer tunnel, Brendan, with the help of his only ally, a know-it-all called the Brain (Matt O’Leary, a standout in an already strong supporting cast), attempts to find the killer.
The film has a rich style that fits surprisingly well with its high school setting. The characters play it straight, employing a hard-boiled style of dialogue that would be at home in a Hammett or Chandler novel. Lines like “I got all five senses and I slept last night, which puts me six up on you” are plentiful, and are delivered with utter seriousness. Its penchant for playing it straight is one of the film’s many assets. In a lesser movie, the characters would find it funny, but in “Brick” they all take it seriously: It might be one big joke, but if that’s so, then everyone is in on it.
“Brick” is also incredibly inventive and resourceful. With a budget of just half a million, the film still manages to look polished and layered, and also makes great use of sound — one chase scene in particular early on uses the sound of shoes hitting pavement to amazing effect. Credit of the highest regard should be given to Rian Johnson, who makes an incredible directorial debut.
I really do hate it when I feel myself forced to gush. But then again, some movies deserve it, and this film is definitely one of them. So come on: Go see “Brick,” and say hello to one of your new favorite movies. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
