Brick

Amazing movie, definitely a definitive piece for a directorial debut (Rian Johnson). It may seem a little odd at first, set in highschool, hard nose detective style neo noir, but it really all makes sense. It's a little dated but emphasis on the word little. Still a great piece. Some of these film shots are just hauntingly good, and there's even a few laugh-out-loud moments for being a serious flick. I really dig when they can sneak that into a layer. Overall I am very happy with this purchase, glad I own a hardcopy of such a great film.

An early underappreciated movie from Rian Johnson, and a forever favorite of mine Superimpose a truly dark noir and the death of a beautiful girl on high school melodrama, complete with a drug kingpin, a femme fatale, a queen bee theater kid, a classic geek, and a mom serving orange juice. It pops with the rat-a-tat banter of the 1940s, sparkles with danger, and has enough plot twists to stump Sam Spade. I just love this film.

Know going in that this is a low budget detective film noir set in a high school.I saw this film not too long after it hit DVD, and I knew that the writer/director would be big someday. There’s a nice easter egg in Glass Onion that nods back to Brick…did you see it?The BluRay version has amazing visual clarity over my old DVD version. If you love this movie, it’s worth the upgrade.

Brick is a fast paced film that bears watching repeatedly. (It can be viewed here on Amazon.com -- free with Amazon Prime.) The online transfer is good with a clear and intelligible soundtrack -- but the noir slang may not be familiar to most.I liked it enough that I bought the DVD. The extras are a mixed bag; the commentary track is a mess and other than telling us the film was totally filmed in San Clemente, California, it is just a curiosity. The deleted scenes are good, and the two "screen tests" are ok.The real value of the DVD is in the English subtitles. (Spanish & French subtitles are also included.)I've included the IMDb.com slang list for this film, because reading it on IMDb reveals plot:Blow - To leave, depart; e.g., "Did she blow last night?"Brick - A term used to describe a pound or kilogram of any drug, in the case of this film its heroin.Bulls - Cops; e.g., "What first, tip the bulls?" Also, as a verb, to turn over to the cops; e.g., "I bulled the rat."Burg (or Burgh) - Town, City; e.g., "He knows every two-bit toker in the burg."C - Roman numeral for 100; e.g., "He had a C-Note."Clam - To keep your mouth shut e.g., "The muscle blows or I'll clam."Copped - Obtained; e.g., "She copped the junk."Dose - To take drugs e.g., "He dosed off the bad junk and it laid him out."Duck Soup - Easy pickings.Gat - Gun.Gum - To mess things up; e.g., "Bulls would only gum it."Heel - To walk away from (and show your heels to); e.g., "I'm not heeling you to hook you."Hook - Raise interest or get involved; e.g. "I'm not heeling to hook you."Hop/Jake/Junk - Drugs. Back when noir films were more popular, (1940's-50's); hop is often used to reference marijuana and "hophead" is someone who smokes a lot of pot.Knives in my eyes - a splitting headache; e.g., "I've got knives in my eyes. I'm going home sick."Lap Dog - A lap dog is defined as a dog that is small enough to be held in the arms or lay comfortably on a person's lap. The term is also sometimes used to describe a person who is very easily controlled, such as a yes man. In the case of Brick both definitions are cleverly combined. If you recall the scene where we first meet Kara, she has a freshman boys head in her lap, who springs to her command of "run and get my purse."On the Nail - immediately; e.g., "He wants cash on the nail."Pick - A ride in a car (as in "pick-up"); e.g., "Did she get a pick?"Raise - To get in touch with; e.g., "You couldn't raise em?" This is also used cleverly when Brain asks Brendan, "You couldn't raise her?" referring to Emily whom he could neither contact nor raise, as in raise from the dead.Reef Worm - A stoner (reefer).Scape - A patsy to take the blame (scapegoat/ fall guy).Scraped - Begged off of, cadged from; e.g., "Ask any dope rat where their junk sprang and they'll say they scraped it off [name]..."Shamus - A private detective.Shine - To wield (as with a weapon); e.g., "He shines a blade."Showing Your Ace - Obviously a card reference. An ace is the highest playing card, meaning 'high-quality. When Brendan strips Kara and says "I'm showing your ace," he is saying that Kara's most valuable asset is her beauty, which she uses to manipulate people with (e.g. lap dogs, Dode, etc). Not to mention, ace sounds similar to ass, something else of hers he shows off.Specks - Eyes or Eyeglasses (spectacles); e.g., "Keep your specks peeled."Sprang - Originated; e.g., "His gat sprang from Tugger's gang."Squawk - To give up or snitch on. Or more apt to this, a stool pigeon.Take A Powder - To slip away; e.g., "Why'd you take a powder the other night?"Yegg - A criminal.Too bad the list isn't on the DVD; but check out the IMDb entry for more goodies.

Brick is a 2005 American neo-noir mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson in his directorial debut, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Brendan, a High School student, undergoes an investigation of his when his ex-girlfriend disappears without a trace after a phone call that suggests danger is coming her way. . . .One of this film's strongest aspect is its unique form of dialogue between the characters. The vernacular is very specifically chosen, and this works to maintain the tense (and yet casual) atmosphere that classic noir films are known for having. Not only this, but the dialogue is also paced in such a way that the characters at times seem to be metaphorically hitting a ping-pong ball back and forth at one another in an attempt to see who will "slip-up" first. This seemingly competitive nature works to keep the audience engaged and encourages some amount of investment in 'Brick's overarching plot.Noir films can became convoluted just due to the complexity of their contents, and 'Brick' manages to stay away from confusing its audience. Firstly, terms and concepts that may be foreign to some are often followed up with some amount of clarification through the use of questions the characters ask amongst themselves. This prevents viewers from being too caught up on details that ultimately aren't as important as others. Secondly, dramatic reveals are also followed by a brief period of silence that is built in to the story without feeling forced or being awkwardly included. This allowance of time encourages viewers to absorb meaningful information and keeps them in a state of anticipation for what might happen next.Most of the complaints about this film are centered around the fact that this story revolves around a group of high schoolers - but for me this was honestly the best part. Although it might not have been intended, the juxtaposition of challenges typically related to children (being absent for school) and adult-like scenarios (solving a murder, amongst other things) is wonderful commentary regarding the realities and expectations that many adolescents often DO have to deal with on a daily basis. The seemingly exaggerated nature of Brendan's life mirrors the realities (maybe even just parts of reality) that burden youth more often than is realized or even validated. This may not encourage some to think more critically about the interactions they have with young adults, but it did have that effect on me.A cult-classic that is in a league of its own.I would recommend!

I can't tell how I feel about this films because my brain is a bit weird and I can only understand what's being said if I have the subtitles to fill in what I couldn't understand. This disc does not HAVE subtitles, so I couldn't understand a lot of what was being said, but what I COULD understand was great. It's hard boiled detective movie set in a high school, it's such a neat idea that even being barely able to understand it it's neat.

The director, Rian Johnson, also directed "Looper" a film which I very much enjoyed.The first time I saw this film, I was on a plane, and the dense, brilliant prose that the characters spoke in meant that I felt almost as though I was watching Shakespeare.A second viewing a couple of years later and it all became much clearer. The characters, all in American high school (not quite university, much like the UK college/6th form) are all speaking in classic film noir. The disconnect between what you see and what you hear is top quality entertainment.The cast make you believe in the world, with the occasional bobbing for air on the surface to remind us that they are still living at home with their parents.Betrayal, femme fatales, noir tropes abound and it is glorious.

I'll start this off by saying this is definitly not for everyone.It's along the same cult league as Donnie Darko.People with no patience will watch this with high expectations and walk away disappointed.Then there will be those who will enjoy and appreciate every minute.The movie involves a school kid investigating his girlfriends disappearance which leads him in the schools underworld lead by the mysterious Pin.The film lacks in action and suspense but works well as a thriller.I have to say this is one of Lukas Haas's best performances with the exception of `Lady in White.`

This may indeed be a neo-noir, as it was listed in a review I read, but it is aimed very much at teenagers. They might give it a better rating than I can.

The dialogue in this film is difficult to understand and there are no subtitles. Could not even watch it to the end.