Brick (R)
Done on a hair-thin budget over the span of two weeks, Brick is an amazing work in story-telling as well as a great throwback to classic film Noir. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a heartbroken teen who, after finding his ex-girlfriend dead, goes in search of finding what happened. Rian Johnson’s debut film is very clever, but some people may find it a bit too clever for their liking, due to the very confusing top-hat detective lingo. I recommend watching Brick with the subtitles on, to get the full effect.
Surprisingly strong acting from even the most minor characters only add to the cleverness, and the tongue-in-cheek-ness of the adult story happening inside a high school is either painfully silly or stylish and unique. Brick is the most hate-it or love-it movie I’ve seen. But those who love Brick keep it close at hand and watch it regularly. Definitely an acquired taste.
An amusing score by Nathan Johnson that compliments the films quirkiness is the icing on the cake.
A post script: do not take the absurd R rating seriously. This movie is completely without inappropriate content. I’ve even researched why it got an R rating and no one seems to know.
{SEE IT}
