Directed by Rian Johnson Brick is an excellent example of how extending a genre can bring out the best in it. Brick is pure film noir simply and elegantly executed. The twist is that the setting is in a modern high school.
I was sceptical at first. But the beautiful and confident pacing carries you along from the first scene without you realising your feet have left the ground. The script would have been a real page-turner. Even though I missed many details in the dialogue I did not mind. It was more about the rhythm and pressure of the exchanges. The dialogue was more like a soundtrack for the action.
This film is a rare beast. I’ve become jaded with the bulk of films these days. They seem to have become so shrill in one way or another. Desperately wanting to be all things to all people They are trying so hard to please that all you get from them is the strain of that effort. Whatever inspiration they came from is lost. Brick is refreshing because it knows exactly what kind of film it is and it delivers exactly that film. It’s an old song sung well. What more could you want?
Brick at IMDB:
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0393109/
