Reviews from the Vault: Brick (2005)

Writer/Director Rian Johnson's Brick tells the tale of Brendan Frye (Joseph-Gordon Levitt), a high school student that is having a hard time finding his missing ex-girlfriend Emily. The more Brendan searches, the further away she seems. As the story unfolds, Brendan discovers that Emily was caught up with a bad group of people, including the town legend, "The Pin" (as in kingpin). You may find it hard to remove yourself from your seat due to the intriguingly devious characters acquainted along Brendan's journey, and the sense of film noir. This is the very reason that this detective film is a success. Brick may include teenage characters. It may be set at a high school and take place in recent years, but don't be befuddled, Brick has the poise of a much older film noir such as The Maltese Falcon. Not only does Levitt portray a "Private I" with nearly the same accuracy and passion as Jack Nicholson in Polanski's Chinatown, but the film's music is a large part of the action (much like its predecessors). Additionally, Brick delivers an ending not as easily analyzed as some other modern day noir. Although some of the actors opposite Levitt tend to portray the fact that they are below his pay-grade, the twists, excellent dialog, and pioneer script of Brick earn the film a solid 3 stars in my book.