Brick was released on April 7, 2006, and is director Rian Johnson's first film. It was written and directed by Rian Johnson, and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emilie de Ravin, Nora Zehetner, Matt O'Leary, Noah Fleiss, Brian J. White, Meagan Good, and Noah Segan, with Richard Roundtree and Lukas Haas.
Like many films on the list, I watched this thinking I would like it, not love it. And, like many films on the list, I came out loving it. However, there is one major difference between this film and every other film on the list that I saw and loved: a big plot hole, of sorts. Now, this doesn't completely destroy the plot, like most plot holes do, but just makes you question, "really?," all the time. What is this plot hole of sorts you may ask? It's set in a high school.
OK, here's the basic plot. Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a young loner in high school. His ex-girlfriend, Emily Kostich (Emilie de Ravin), calls him, telling him she screwed up bad, and spewing a bunch of nonsense, or so it seems. As it turns out, she has gotten involved in the drug circuit, with the drug baron the Pin (Lukas Haas). Two days later, Brendan finds her dead, and becomes determined to solve her murder.
So, basically, without really spoiling anything, Brendan, the loner, who chooses not to be part of anything, throws himself into the world of drugs. Now, this I'm fine with. It makes sense, he wants to find his ex's killer, because he loves her. However, the fact that they're all in high school is what I find odd. For instance, when we first meet the Pin, he is portrayed as a ruthless drug baron, who is not one to be messed with. But he lives with his mother. Who gives him cookies. Also, Brendan offers his help to him by pretending to be an informant for the Vice Principal of the high school. That's really kinda laughable. Another thing I find hilarious has to be when there's a meeting at the end between all the members of the drug world, they meet at the Pin's house, at 4:00 A.M., and his mother serves them milk. He's a drug baron, who lives with his mother, doesn't hide it, and is worried about what the vice principal thinks. That really just doesn't make sense.
However, if you take this out, trust me when I say, everything else is absolutely brilliant. The acting, particularly from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lukas Haas, is tremendous. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the perfect outsider, his character really doesn't care about anyone else, and understands everyone on first sight. And Lukas Haas plays this creepy person who runs everything, and isn't to be messed with. I never really liked Lukas Haas, because he always seemed like some little boy to me, whiny and pretending to be a big boy. However, here, he is extremely creepy. The directing and writing are also great. The writing is great, especially for Gordon-Levitt. He's got some great lines like, "I've got all my 5 senses, plus I slept well last night, so I'm 6 up on you." Plus, it's a great modern detective film. It's nice to see a detective film made nowadays without the internet playing a big role, because it reminds of us the older detective films, when people had to use libraries and newspapers.
Overall, I'd have to say that this film is a modern gem. Without a doubt, one of the best films of the 2000s, but unfortunately, it's setting is detrimental, at least for me. Perhaps if they set it in college, I'd like it better. I was considering giving this film a Seal of Brilliance, but because of the setting, I didn't. Unfortunate. Overall, I give this an 8.5/10. If you've ever been interested if seeing a Joseph Gordon-Levitt indie film, this is the one to check out first.
Next time, I'm watching Princess Mononoke, one of Hayao Miyazaki's most famous films.
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