Brick

Name: Brick
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Crime
Released: March 31, 2006
Duration: 110 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Emilie de Ravin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Meagan Good, Richard Roundtree

2006

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 219 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 219 Ratings

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Brick

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Movie Details & Credits

Focus Features | Release Date: March 31, 2006 | R

Starring: Emilie de Ravin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Meagan Good, Richard Roundtree

Summary: Brick, while taking its cues and its verbal style from the novels of Dashiell Hammett, also honors the rich cinematic tradition of the hard-boiled noir mystery, here wittily and bracingly immersed in fresh territory – a modern-day Southern California neighborhood and high school. (Focus Features)

Director: Rian Johnson

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 110 min

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Critic Reviews

Scott Tobias

Manages to be visually arresting, packed with geeky allusions to everything from Raymond Chandler to "Blue Velvet." Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Johnson also grabs hold of a fundamental truth and seduces us with it: The schoolyard can be the noirest burg of all. Read full review

Carina Chocano

Johnson has taken a well-worn, much-revised genre, adapted to what's become a clichéd setting and transcended both in the process. Read full review

Neva Chonin

A weird and near-perfect polyglot of indie art film and noir mystery. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

The story, while derivative, isn't half bad, and the picture gains in finesse and confidence to the point where Johnson more or less pulls off his peril-fraught exercise. Read full review

Desson Thomson

Like a good campfire storyteller, writer-director Rian Johnson knows how to fuse the amusing and the edgy. And, in Brendan, he has created an endearing character. Read full review

Steven Rea

Alas, Brick, from writer-director Rian Johnson, isn't as clever as its conceit. Read full review

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User Reviews

TrevorB.

Apr 24, 2006

Joseph Gordan- Levitt has come along way, from 3rd Rock from the Sun. He's on well on his way to becoming a movie star. Rian Johnson has an uncanny ability with language that you don't hear everyday. I can't wait to see his follow up film.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Feb 11, 2007

In my mind, the noirisms hit their stride when the character of Brain is introduced and he utters the line: "Lunch? Lunch is difficult...." A better summation of high school I've never heard. And NO LAPTOP! He got the reputation as "Brain," not by being a geek computer whiz or building In my mind, the noirisms hit their stride when the character of Brain is introduced and he utters the line: "Lunch? Lunch is difficult...." A better summation of high school I've never heard. And NO LAPTOP! He got the reputation as "Brain," not by being a geek computer whiz or building robots, but by his detailed knowledge of social strata and teenage communication. In fact, aside from a loner cell phone, most communication in the movie is done longhand - either person-to-person or in symbollic notes, etc. I love all of it. The Brat Pack movies have at last been put under.… Expand

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Vltra88

Jun 29, 2011

Well written, Well acted, solid artful piece. The Film Noir/Hard boiled "who dunnit" feel fits really well in the director's childhood California high school setting while only feeling forced for brief moments. It's in my top ten films for sure. The pace is for the patient, and the entireWell written, Well acted, solid artful piece. The Film Noir/Hard boiled "who dunnit" feel fits really well in the director's childhood California high school setting while only feeling forced for brief moments. It's in my top ten films for sure. The pace is for the patient, and the entire vibe requires an understanding or appreciation of Film Noir. Maybe not for everyone, but I saw it as an incredibly well written script with an obvious intended goal for the film.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

cameronmorewood

Nov 7, 2012

Brick has a language, and even a world of its own, and it is utterly fascinating.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

amheretojudge

Sep 3, 2019

Johnson's job is so polished, clean and smart, that it takes you a while to understand the ruthlessnees it speaks about.

Brick Johnson is a fanatic for the action. Mind you, this is not the action that one often misunderstands it for. It doesn't punch its way out. It doesn't want to.Johnson's job is so polished, clean and smart, that it takes you a while to understand the ruthlessnees it speaks about.

Brick

Johnson is a fanatic for the action. Mind you, this is not the action that one often misunderstands it for. It doesn't punch its way out. It doesn't want to. Unlike Brendan played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the protagonist, who is drunk in his guilt and is ready to take any sort of suffering or punishment in this investigative journey that he calls, salvation. The writer and director Rian Johnson's action is an action. Any form of activity, physical activity that normally is a heartbeat fastening experience for you in real life and is a "meh" sequence in a cinematic life.

So now, his priority is to make this crime drama world practical enough for you to believe the hype, agree to those standard rumors and carry the weight of the stakes it actually oozes. How do you pull this off? You would think that Johnson would direct his gun towards empathizing his characters. Instead, he defines the boundaries pretty close to reality. For a film that deals with murder, drug trafficking and Mafia-alike privatized gangs, Johnson doesn't let go of tiny stuffs like bunking class, detention threat and rep sheet.

These actual issues that a studying teenager would and does worry about, then elevates the bold decisions of his on say.. chasing a criminal, fighting a bigger, stronger bully, deliberately walk in on a troubling scenario- the way he keeps insisting on fighting despite being brutally beaten, that arresting personality is brilliantly portrayed by Joseph- or the final test, taking someone's life. That final part grounds the film more than anything considering how pure his revenge based emotions are, in the entire film, it is actually what drives him, more than even the curiosity factor. Brick is a hefty, heavy, bone-y pill to swallow, it is not for everyone, but then it is not made to.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Nov 24, 2021

This film is reminiscent of a black and white detective film, so as such it is relatively 'film noir'-ish I'd say. I say that due to the sort of traditional dialogue used and the tone of the film which is set by quite old fashioned PI type music (almost sleazy jazz style music in parts,This film is reminiscent of a black and white detective film, so as such it is relatively 'film noir'-ish I'd say. I say that due to the sort of traditional dialogue used and the tone of the film which is set by quite old fashioned PI type music (almost sleazy jazz style music in parts, while in others there's an almost ethereal piece played which sounds a little like wind chimes blowing in the breeze). The main character is a bit of a loner, which also makes me think back to traditional detective films. It is quite gritty and urban, I think its fair to say. I suppose you could call it a mystery drama - I wouldn't categorise it as a thriller as such, although often these days mystery films are also thrillers but this particular film isn't particularly fast paced and it doesn't feature big visual effects or the like, so I wouldn't say it applies in this instance. I felt it was quite an atmospheric film - there's a fairly strong sense of tension throughout, as we wonder why things are the way they are. I found myself wanting to get the answers the main character, Brendan, seeks. It does well at keeping things quite mysterious. I noticed that there were many quite short scenes and often these would fade out to black before (obviously) the next one appeared, which adds to the feeling of being only able to part see the story, the sense of being kept in the dark somehow. As well as the music being almost ethereal or ghost like, there are also scenes in which you can hear what sounds like whooshing noises and peoples voices sound to be echoing - considering this is in the open, nowhere where there'd obviously be an echo, so its done for atmospheric effect.

The plot is relatively slow but I didn't feel it became especially bland or boring, so it kept my interest throughout. I quite liked that Brendan seemed one of the less popular, more bland high school guys - being a bit of an underdog, I felt I was on his side.

I liked some of the camera angles used during key scenes, which made it harder to see precisely what happened and made me jump slightly at times. I thought it added to the impact of the scene and also to the overall mysterious tone.

Cast wise, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Brendan. I thought he was well cast, seeming quite believable as the loner and down-and-out type. He comes across as quite determined and anxious at different times but not unafraid to attempt a bargain. Other cast members include Noah Fleiss as Tugger, Noah Segan as Dode, Lukas Haas as The Pin and Nora Zehetner as Laura.

This film was clearly not made with a big budget but I think its done well regardless, as there isn't always a need for masses of effects and I felt it was quite gripping, if but a bit disorientating, due to the camera angles used and the creepy musical score at times. If you happen to suffer from motion sickness then this film may not be ideal as there are times when the camera suddenly turns down quickly, which may take the viewer by surprise.

Content wise, this film features some strong language and moderate violence, including gunfire and some blood is shown. There are also drug references but nothing else particularly graphic. This film carries a 15 rating to reflect this.

Overall I feel this was a good film - I liked the tone of it and the main character but I did find the plot somewhat confusing and it is quite slow, which won't suit all, hence I'm opting for the 4 star rating overall.

Yes I'd recommend this film, as I felt it was quite gritty and atmospheric, featuring a good performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and good use of music, despite the plot being a bit slow. Its worth a watch.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DavisR.

Aug 29, 2006

this film is tied with Kevin Smith's dreadful Clerks 2 as the worst film of the year. Besides the dialogue which is obviously the worst thing about this film, it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who propels this disaster toward "Rushmore"-territory. Just because a hack like Gregg Araki sees the this film is tied with Kevin Smith's dreadful Clerks 2 as the worst film of the year. Besides the dialogue which is obviously the worst thing about this film, it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who propels this disaster toward "Rushmore"-territory. Just because a hack like Gregg Araki sees the irony in casting the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun in his borefest Mysterious Skin, now everyone wants to cast this American version of Kal Penn in their movies. It's not fair to say he ruined this film because had he been replaced with Curtis Jackson the film would still be a failure. Johnson delivers the worst film debut since Reservoir Dogs and unless you want to waste 2 hours of your life stay far away.… Expand

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99	#99 Best Movie of 2006
63	#63 Most Discussed Movie of 2006
82	#82 Most Shared Movie of 2006