Solid Brick

BRICK

Brick sounds like a no brainer. Take the archetypical detective story, and set it in modern day high school. What Rian Johnson ends up with is a slick looking nod to the thrillers of the ‘40’s with fast talking men hot on the heels of a dangerous crime lord in a shady setting with shadier woman.

Brick tells the tale of Brendan, a high school youth who worries about the whereabouts of his ex-girlfriend Emily. When things go awry, Brendan has to delve into the shady high school underworld to shake out the guilty party. Helping him out is The Brain, a rubix cube playing associate who aides him with information. This information leads Brendan to a meeting with a number of the schools more outlandish individuals.

Rian Johnson has got it, I don’t mean got the style of the genre he’s knee deep in, though he does, his detective tale is a road paved with sleepless nights, vicious brawls, mysterious men with mysterious motives. Johnson's got the visual talent and ability to create a distinct mood and atmosphere What’s really impressive is the staging and execution of the two big “action” scenes, one being a parking lot brawl, the other being a thrilling foot chase with a splendid payoff, it’s no surprise he was awarded for originality of vision, the guy’s gonna go places.

I never liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt during his tenure on Third Rock from the Sun as the youngest [oldest?] alien Tommy, but then you don’t care once his portrayal of Brendan hits the ground running in his search for the perpetrators and the story behind the titular “Brick”, giving pursuit with little regards to health, sleep or grades, he’s the hero who can't be put down, and his hard boiled banter works 100% throughout the tale. To paraphrase Paul Rudd “Y'know, I always thought that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was like a Streisand, but he's rocking the shit in this one!”

Discussing the supporting cast of characters risks spoiling and this is a film best watched without prior knowledge [But then again, what isn’t?]. Brick is playing in limited release but I assure you it’s worth the time when the film is rolled out to a theatre near you.