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Brick [2006]


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Editorial
Synopsis

A detective story set around a California high school, BRICK dares to combine the teen and film noir genres. In mixing these two disparate worlds, Director Rian Johnson creates many comically jarring and ironic moments. When loner Brendan Frye (a barely recognizable Joseph Gordon-Levitt of THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN) gets a desperate-sounding call from his ex-love Emily (Emilie de Ravin), he feels compelled to help her, plunging himself into the seedy world of teenage crime that pulled her away from him in the first place. Throughout this journey, Brendan plays a hard-boiled type reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart's iconic Sam Spade character. Johnson's script invests heavily in the fiction of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and is filled with other archetypical characters like the femme fatale (Nora Zehetner), the eccentric crime lord (a brilliant Lukas Haas), and the dame in distress. As teens trade in their cell phones for things as old-fashioned as pay phones and 1940s gangster vocabulary, occasional references to detention and first period provide a humorous contrast with the otherwise unbelievably complex, precocious, and largely parentless world that these teens inhabit. With its heavy reliance on references to old noir classics like THE MALTESE FALCON and THE BIG SLEEP, the film may risk alienating viewers not familiar with these older films. Seeing teenagers speaking in coded detective-movie-style lingo is entertaining, but mixed with the often overlapping, fast-paced but muttered dialogue, it also proves to be distracting at points. People eager to see a predictable teen drama may be confused by BRICK, as its goal is to turn the genre on its head, earning inevitable comparisons to films like 2001's surreal teen fantasy DONNIE DARKO. Because of the film's attention to detail and witty yet hard-to-follow dialogue, BRICK may be better appreciated on second viewing.


offbeat treat
Review date: 2008-06-07 Rating: 6 out of 10

solid well made and well acted thriller featuring a strong lead performance from joseph gordon levitt.on the downside it's a bit boring in places the plot is hard to follow even though you know the ending within the first five minets.but overall this is a solid entertaining thriller

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Reviews


a breath of fresh air
Review date: 2008-06-02 Rating: 8 out of 10

Brick is a film noir that has the basis of a dectective story with a young cast and a fair old pace thrown into the mix to keep things interesting,although the temptation is there to overthink this film,the idea and execution of it isnt really that complicated,yes it wants to be a bit like donnie darko but just isnt that far removed from reality in my humble opinion.
The film deals with a school kid called brendan who is trying to solve the murder of his ex girlfriend and along with his friend brain has a difficult task at hand but walks headfirst into danger at every turn and finds answers he wishes he didnt know almost,the film has a few twists thrown in but nothing that mindbending but the vigilante feel to it,and he doesnt have any weapons really is both comical and refreshing.
There is more to the film than this but i dont wish to spoil anyones enjoyment,the film relies heavily on dialouge so be prepared for that and there are no special effects really,this is a low budget film with an ego for sure but also a great quality,well worth investigating.

Confusing yet original detective drama
Review date: 2008-04-01 Rating: 8 out of 10

When Brendan Frye (Gordon-Levitt) gets an unsettling phonecall from his panicked ex-girlfriend (de Ravin) he starts to look into the drug dealing clique she has fallen in with. When her body turns up a few days later, Brendan decides to get to the bottom of her death even if it means getting involved with some bad people.

Brick takes all the elements of a 1940s gumshoe detective tale and fuses them with a modern day California high school drama. Instead of using witless Clueless style chit chat, the kids use bizarre detective slang which comes across a little precocious in my opinion but it's a bold move that adds a distinct flavor to the film. All the performances are strong, especially Gordon-Levitt and Lukas Haas who plays a 26 year old drugs baron with an orthopaedic shoe and runs his crime empire from his mums house. There are many eccentricities that make Brick an entertaining watch but it's a little overlong and confusing. Some of the dialogue will be lost on some viewers and as the amazon review points out, it's probably better to watch a second time.

Like this? Try: Donnie Darko




SUPERBAD
Review date: 2008-03-21 Rating: 2 out of 10

awful. who thought this twaddle up. crap story , bad acting , boring. to sum up BAD

Twin Peaks meets Shenmue meets Cow Boy BeBop
Review date: 2007-12-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

A high school teen flick mixed with film noir could have been a laughable mess and while Brick does draw a few laughs from its audience as it runs its twisty course through its slightly complex and interesting, character-driven plot, that's only because it manages to balance the juxtaposition between the teen/detective genres so damn well that you can't resist a smile. With clever dialogue, nice direction and photography and cool characters, Brick is an excellent example of a text mixing and playing around with new and old generic conventions, giving it it's own innovative feel while retaining what makes both genres so good. More from this director/writer please.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Emilie De Ravin

Creators:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Primary Contributor)
Emilie De Ravin (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060034578345
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2007-01-01
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 105 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006
Language: English (Original Language)

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