Brick

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Emile de Ravin, Richard Roundtree, Megan Good
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A high school loner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is determined to find the murderer of his ex-girlfriend (Emile de Ravin). His quest for the truth brings him into contact with some of the most seedy and dangerous characters in the small town.

Review:

Tim: I am a big fan of this movie. The film takes a typical plot of a hard-boiled crime thriller, and puts it in a high school. Surprisingly, this actually works extremely well. The movie is fast-paced, intelligent, and suspenseful. It keeps you guessing until the very end. This is a very well-made movie.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excellent in the role. He is every bit as good as actors like Humphrey Bogart, who would typically be in a role like this. He's excellent. The entire supporting cast are all quite good as well. I liked seeing Emile de Ravin in her important but small role. I couldn't find one actor who didn't give a great performance- the whole cast works extremely well.

One of the best aspects of this film is that the dialogue is so unbelievably quick, and filled with such complicated words and slang that at times, it is almost incomprehensible. The dialogue makes you stay focused from beginning to end, trying to make sense of what is going on. Add in a complicated, twisting, difficult plot, and it takes effort to stay up on what is happening. Luckily, all the effort is worth it, because the film is so good.

I was surprised at how effective the film's central mystery was. These type of crime thrillers have been done so many times before, so I was a bit worried the movie would just be a cheap ripoff of previous films. Luckily, this is not the case. The movie feels fresh and unique, and this keeps you interested. The film also tells its story in a very believable way. It creates this complex, dense world of double-crosses and murder, and makes it fit into a high school setting. The fact that you can buy into this and believe it is impressive.

Brick is one of those rare movies that truly stands out from the hundreds of movies out there. It is done well enough and is unique enough that it remains incredibly memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Maltese Falcon, The Lookout, Stop Loss