poetry in commotion...

Brick Review

I don't know, but whether she scraped or copped or just ran her tab around the world and into her own back, it must have been grand


Brick is the story of murder, betrayal, of double crosses and intrigue. It is classic film noir - with a twist. It's set in a high school. Set in a high school? Sounds tacky right? I first came across this movie almost 6 months ago. Looking through Apple Trailers, I clicked on the trailer for Brick (here). It drew me in, unlike the other, slicker trailers on the site. Maybe it was the main character, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (of Third Rock from the Sun/ 10 Things I Hate About You fame). Maybe it was the haunting minimalist theme song. Maybe it was the premise, the setting. I think it was all three. Either way, it drew my attention, surprising because traditionally I have no interest in crime movies/thrillers. I visited the website, and from there I was hooked. It looked original, fresh, and it became one of my most anticipated movies of the year. While it was released in the States back in April, it has only been released here in Australia about 3 weeks ago, relegated to showings at the Luna Cinemas, which I largely missed due to the cinema and the lack of interest from my dear friends and family. I was content to wait until the dvd came out. Last thursday, purely by chance, I came across an imported dvd of it in Empire Toys, a lair of kooky geekdom frequented only by nerds and goths of varying shapes and sizes (well, 2 - stick thin or portly/fat). Don't ask me how I know of the place. I eagerly bought it straight away, paying the exorbitant asking price of 50 dollars. Unfortunately due to other commitments I only managed to get to watch it last friday, in the late hours of the night. I loved every minute of it.

The plot is classic noir, a murder, an unknown killer, a determined investigator, criminal and judicial factions and a plot full of twists and turns, all with the ubiquitious femme fatales thrown in the mix. The dialogue is top notch, with the main character Brendan (played by Levitt) delivering lines of keen wit and intelligence, though the dialogue is equally top notch for the other characters. The acting is also surprisingly good considering most actors in the movie were making their film debuts,with Levitt displaying a surprising (for me at least) and impressive acting range, ranging from anger, determination, to near deathly collapse, coughing and gagging near the end. The setting is genius, making you wonder why no one ever thought of it before. While there was a huge risk in the choice of setting, (the wrong approach can make it tacky and derivative, a danger for noir films, which set great emphasis on the setting to convey the plot), the writers have implemented it well, creating a believable environment where the story unfolds. The music is of course great, though you won't pay much attention to it due to the riveting plot of the story. I think one of the best things about the movie is the noir slang that goes into the movie. The writing is of such high degree, and the acting skilled, that it flows seamlessly instead of being disjointed and forced, as it might've been. "Duck soup", "the bull", "Taking a powder", these slang terms are of classic noir style, and really build an atmosphere that helps in the telling of the story. This movie immersed me so much that when the end came, I was surprised at how fast the time had gone by. I don't think I've been this drawn to a movie since Donnie Darko (another great midnight movie of fevered ingenuity). The only problems I could see from this movie is that it's not a movie that you can just zone out on, as attention is required to what the characters are saying to follow what can be outwardly a complex plot. The slang may also be hard to follow, especially since the seamless way it flows from the actor's mouth means that it can often slip past you. Overall, I had high expectations for the movie and I wasn't disappointed, a testament to the quality of the movie.

posted by jaseypoo! @ 7:36 PM