Movies
Screenwriter: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Nora Zehetner, Emilie de Ravin, Matt O'Leary
Running time: 110 mins
When high school loner Brendan Fry (Gordon Levitt) receives a mysterious panicked phone call from his ex-girlfriend (de Ravin) he sets off on a quest to discover what has happened to her with the help of equally enigmatic characters such as The Brain (O'Leary) and femme fatale Laura (Zehetner).
Brick utilises an original genre-bending idea which will go down a storm with many and come across as a failed experiment with the rest. Taking as his setting a school in Southern California, first-timer Rian Johnson turns expectations of this scene on their heads as from their mouths flows dialogue more reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart than Seann WIlliam Scott. A new spin on the genre, the stylised dialogue soon fades into the background as this noir mystery takes hold.
This film is more interesting and intellectually engaging than emotionally involving. The lead character, played by a promising Joseph Gordon Levitt (Third Rock from the Sun) is stoic throughout and although the entire plot comes about due to the death of a girl we are never really invited to care about her. The focus is squarely on tension, a unique style and an enthralling well-developed mystery.
If there's one drawback of the faithful adherence to the genre to which Brick pays homage it's the rapid-fire monotone delivery of some of the slang-filled lines which, if your ears fail to adapt to it, might leave you confused and not enjoy what this complex film has to offer. This is particularly pivotal in a scene where everything gets explained towards the climax.
A dark and stylish mystery thriller which is sure to attract a cult following, Brick is undoubtedly nothing like anything else around at the moment and would definitely benefit from multiple viewings (especially with subtitles).
Almost there! This week's clueword can be found in a recent edition of Weekend Spy
More: Movies
Your Views
1 Comments
Your Responses
Movie Reviews
'The Vow' reviewChanning Tatum tries to win back Rachel McAdams in romantic drama The Vow.
At the Movies
This Week's 5 Hottest Movie VideosTrailers for The Avengers and Spider-Man are among this week's highlights in film.
Movies Interviews
Daniel Radcliffe talks 'Woman in Black'The actor talks to Digital Spy about his first post-Potter outing.
Box Office Charts
'Chronicle' leads UK box officeSuperhero drama Chronicle leads the UK box office ahead of Journey 2.
Not a bad film, but not a great one either. In my opinion, this film has been grossly over-rated by the critics, who seem to appreciate the intentions of the film-maker rather than the execution of it. The cast weren't awful and for the most part the acting was sound, but the whole concept for the film seemed a little contrived. The dialogue too was occassionally alienating, and some scenes carried on far beyond the point of caring. So, once again, not bad, but nowhere near as brillant as the critics would have you believe