Brick

by JE Smith

David Lynch meets Raymond Chandler is the best way to describe this 2005 Sundance prizewinner which hardwires film noir sensibilities into a teen-angst-and-murder scenario that is at once fresh and a little disorienting. It’s a breath of fresh air and a solid kick in the crotch all at the same time.

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David Lynch meets Raymond Chandler is the best way to describe this 2005 Sundance prizewinner (Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision) which hardwires film noir sensibilities into a teen-angst-and-murder scenario that is at once fresh and a little disorienting. Brick may occasionally be a little too clever for its own good, but it rocks the house nonetheless, with note-perfect performances and memorable dialogue. It’s a breath of fresh air and a solid kick in the crotch all at the same time.

Ever see Filmore, that wicked-clever Saturday morning cartoon about an elementary school crossing guard who solves playground “crimes” with the help of his goth-girl sidekick? Funny and inventive, Filmore styles its stories using The Streets of San Fransisco as a template, with cheesy voice-over narration, purple-prosed title captions (“Act Two: A Crime of Passion…”), and tidy tie-ups. Brick uses the same kind of fusion, only with a 1940s Bogart/Chandler/Spillane/Gumshoe vibe, transplanted into a modern high school setting. The characters speak in the kind of razor’s-edge dialogue that few people are clever enough to pull off in real life, and the conventions of the genre (soft-spoken bad guys, dumb “muscle,” femme fatales) are bussed in as well. In fact, the transposition is so faithful that some of Brick’s plot developments are easily foretold – because we’ve seen them many times before.

Still, it’s the singer not the song, and first time writer/director Rian Johnson pulls off an impressive juggling act here. Seen from a distance, Brick might appear all too arch and art-school-show-off “cool” with a capital C. But instead the film feels honest and raw – like so many shows before (including Twin Peaks, with which it shares many common elements), it begins with a dead body, and ends with various lives in ruins. And in the middle it jumps, growls, and slinks through a compelling narrative that is only slightly over-directed with a few too many nods to David freakin’ Lynch, and a few too many pile-ups of Damn Clever dialogue. But it works. It really works.

Brendan Frye (Joesph Gordon-Levitt), a taciturn loner at a small-town high school, is worried about ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin of Lost) who left him a disturbing phone message and then vanished. With the help of his buddy Brain (Matt O’Leary, Spy Kids 2), he manages to infiltrate the elite world of the upper-crust “popular” kids – which almost immediately catapults him into the court of local teen drug lord the Pin (Lukas Haas) – who dresses like Barnabus Collins, complete with cane, and operates out of his parents’ basement. It’s no great spoiler to say that Emily’s not in the best of health, and that her fate is tied in to the Pin, and his empty-eyed enforcer Tugger (Noah Fleiss), who may not be quite as stupid as he seems.

Brick isn’t perfect – some plot elements (such as why Brendan seems direly ill for much of the midsection) aren’t explained, the low-low budget occasionally hampers, and at times the ginchy directorial flourishes are surplus to requirements. But you gotta give Johnson credit for trying something that was in no way a slam-dunk; Brick assumes intelligence and a love of film, and not every moviegoer brings those facilities to the multi-plex. Those that do will probably have a blast.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues his rise to stardom (or at least indie immortality) with another scorching performance. Forever remembered as Tommy from 3rd Rock from the Sun, Gordon-Levitt has become the male Parker Posey of late, doing sterling work in independent films like Manic, Havoc, and Mysterious Skin. He’s absolutely dead-on perfect here, reeling off lines like “You wanna take a swing at me, hash-head? Huh? I got all five senses and I slept last night, which puts me six up on you” with absolute conviction. Despite director Johnson’s best efforts as Lynchania, it’s JGL that keeps this train moving – he’s absolutely captivating from start to finish, although it’s getting to be something of a stretch for the 25-year-old to still be playing High School.

The rest of the cast delivers as well, particularly Noah Weiss in the tricky role of the dumb-but-loyal Tugger. Lukas Haas underplays nicely, and Texan Laura Dannon gives an earthy edge to the rich-bitch cliché, and then effortlessly slinks into Lauren Bacall territory at a turn. There’s not a bum perf in the bunch, and that’s saying something.

After months on the film-festival circuit, Brick is only now getting a wide release. You need to make it a hit, and maybe – just maybe – we’ll get more good stuff like this, instead of Basic Instinct 2. Ah, who am I kidding? Go see Brick anyway. You’ll be glad you did.