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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Noah Segan ... see more see more... , Matt O'Leary , Meagan Good , Emilie De Ravin , Lucas Babin , Brian J. White , Richard Roundtree , Reedy Gibbs , Ari Welkom , Megan Good

A tough-talking teen attempts to uncover his ex-girlfriend's killer in director Rian Johnson's hard-boiled high-school noir, told in the style of a Dashiell Hammett mystery. An outsider by nature, Bre... read more read more...ndan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is forced to penetrate the elaborate ranks of the high-school social scene and its more insidious underbelly when the body of his former girlfriend Emily is found lying lifeless in a remote creek. Though the pair had been on the outs, Brendan can't seem to shake the hysterical phone call that he received from Emily the day before her body was discovered, a call in which she rattled off a number of cryptic words: "brick," "pin," "tug," "poor Frisco." He's determined to find the guilty party, and to do that he'll need to uncover the meaning behind her enigmatic phone call. From the highest-ranking athlete to the lowest-level burnout, no one is above suspicion of leaving her in that creek or putting her in the position to end up there. Brendan's skill for getting the right attention from the right people leads him to a local drug dealer of urban-legendary status (Lukas Haas), who walks with a cane and lives with his mother. As Brendan infiltrates the social and political web more deeply, his theory solidifies and each player's role becomes clear, from the shifty-eyed pot slinger to an upper-crust innocent who may well be a femme fatale. Brendan may soon be ready to make his case, even if it's too late for him to get out. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

82% liked it

98,402 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

134 critics

R, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Rian Johnson

Release Date: April 21, 2006

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DVD Release Date: August 8, 2006

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Stats: 10,150 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (10,150)

  • brooklynspo
    May 23, 2007
    brooklynspo
    Hard-boiled High.

    You know the gimmick right? OC kids do Dashell Hammett - the Maltese Falcon played out in a schoolyard. They keep the undecipherable language and the familiar yet byzantine plot but then - they throw out almost everything else you associate with the genre.
    ... read more
    Whatever, let's do this:

    OK - I liked the visuals, the music and most of the acting - it really is a very well crafted debut. At the end of the day however, it all results merely in a promising but rather slight exercise in style. The premise is simply impossible to sustain and even if it is, it wasn't.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 20, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    A detective story.

    Not bad. The mood and plot of the movie for me didn't overwhelm me or satisfy me in any way. While there was excellent acting from Joseph Gordon-Levitt everyone else pretty much sucked. I thought the ending was just bad. I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an acto... read morer and I will continue watching his films with much expectations, hopefully in the next I won't be disappointed.

    Set in high school yet stylized like an old detective movie, this intriguing film follows our hero/detective character Brendan - a high school student who prefers to steer clear of the cliques and crowds and their wild shenanigans. That is until his ex girlfriend Emily is found dead in a storm drain only 2 days after receiving a frantic and confusing call from her on a payphone. Determined to find out what happened to her Brendan along with school genius "Brain" has to sift through the upper class elite of the high school students including the jocks, stoners and seductive drama students. As they do so Brendan discovers that Emily's death is linked to something darker and far more serious than they could have imagined.
  • FrizzDrop
    April 3, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    Brick is a gimmicky film, which relies abundantly on its premise and follows through with as many pitfalls as promising plots. Brick tries hard on so many levels to make the character of Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) into a serious hard boiled detective type. In the world of noi... read morer, he is our Marlowe, our Dalmas if you will, but there is something so nonplussed when it comes to his tragedy, that much of the film suffers from it. Every character is well placed and fleshed out, but their acting force is overshadowed by the explosive concept. That concept is a high school setting playing out the same kinds of noir storylines with a different kind of protagonist. Much of this is limited by that, but the movie itself was brilliant in so many ways. The language that these kids use is almost undecipherable, as it's fast and direct. Our main character is brusque, thoughtful, but clichà (C)d and ruthless as well. He speaks with his confidantes and the suspects surrounding the investigation in such a hard nosed manner that much of the film loses its believability. Much more unbelievable is the fact that none of these supposed high school students misunderstand anything he says. No character lacks intelligence, is subdued by the thickness of this plot, and there isn't even a distinction between the characters as a whole. The popular kids being popular is mentioned considerably, but there aren't any other factions, and I still can't understand how Brendan is so irresistible and sustainable though he looks, sounds, and acts like an outcast. Besides that, it was a noir with body and emphasis on the crude, which we never see. Usually noirs are classy and don't cater to that branch of bloody thriller. Though Brick crosses that line of formality with fistfights, drive-bys, and considerable gunplay, it's never out of place or tawdry. The music was sensational, the timeline was disturbing, the supporting characters knew their place, and though there really wasn't a true femme fatale, there was sexual tension. The film even makes fun of itself by pointing out that even the most hard edged and villainous character is still a kid who lives with his mother, and that wit and sophistication isn't always brought in noirs, or a firm comedic relief. Though it was only one scene it really rounded out the reality of the plot. This was a good film, though it dragged more than I would like to admit. It is worth seeing, and noting, even if just for comparison to past noir films.
  • fb1576983399
    January 13, 2012
    fb1576983399
    This is an extremely well written movie with an amazing Original Screenplay. It's tough, requiring a good amount of effort to keep up with, but completely worth it. Great acting by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, great directing, and incredible writing, all on a virtually non-existent budg... read moreet makes this one of the better and most impressive movies I have seen.
  • fb100001592288964
    December 28, 2011
    fb100001592288964
    An wildly inventive take on the classic hard-boiled detective story, this time in the contemporary high school scene, Brick is an extremely underrated gem with a strong lead performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt,but lots of props to debut writer/director Rian Johnson's slick style ... read moreand smart dialogue between characters.
  • c0up
    November 6, 2011
    c0up
    'Brick'. A teenage neo-noir detective flick that was possibly too quirky and clever for its own good at times.
  • paulkoh110
    October 25, 2011
    paulkoh110
    I WISH MY HIGHSCHOOL LIFE WAS A NOIR FILM! The story is chinatown for teens, with drugs, sex, and violence spread out. Gordon-Levitt and Rian Johnson create an atmosphere that separates the film from cliche high school flicks like Mean Girls and Elephant
  • fb223580
    September 28, 2011
    fb223580
    These high school kids' slick lexicon makes the movie.
  • LWOODS04
    August 8, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Nora Zehetner, Noah Segan, Noah Fleiss, Emilie de Ravin, Meagan Good, Richard Roundtree, Matt O'Leary, Brian J. White, Lucas Babin, Ari Welkom

    Director: Rian Johnson

    Summary: When a secret crush turns up dead and the murderer is any... read moreone's guess, teenage loner Brendan Fry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is forced to navigate his school's social network through intense interactions with thespians, band geeks and druggies (including a grown-up Lukas Haas).
    My Thoughts: "I must admit when I watched it, I was a little confused at the begining, but it unravels as it goes. I found it to be intriguing. Its such a different kind of film. I have never seen a movie like this before so it was a great surprise. Joesph Gordon-Levitt was really good in this movie. I have never seen him do a role like this and he was great. It was fast paced and never lost interest. I think its deffinetly a film worth seeing. Loved it..
  • cosmo313
    July 24, 2011
    cosmo313
    I know this film is several years old, but it makes me happy to see that we still have films being released once in a while that are unique and original, and not a sequel, remake, or just a rehash of the same old crap.

    This film is a hard-boiled detective mystery (complete with ... read moreperiod slang) which is already cool, but made even cooler by the fact that it is set in contemporary times at an unnamed high school somewhere in California. Awesome.

    This film isn't merely just a nod to a genre though. It stands on its own and is a very compelling and really well made thriller that, if nothing else, could at least get people interested in the stuff that inspired it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is at the center of this tale about an everryman thrust into a situation that quickly sees him in over his head and on very unstable ground as he tries to piece together the truth surrounding a phone call that got him in the mess to begin with.

    The film has a great sense of style, look, and atmosphere. The material, which involves drugs and murder, is suitably grim, but thankfully there's some wry humor sprinkled throughout to take the edge of (slightly).

    The film seems a bit hard to follow at first, but that's kinda the fun of it. For those who can't keep up though, it all gets answered in the end, so there. This might be a sign that the script could have been better at clarifying things, but I prefer to see it as a way of making the viewer engage with it and think, instead of just sitting there.

    This is some really good stuff, and I'm glad I finally saw it. You should not hesitate to do the same.

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Critic Reviews

David Edelstein
May 12, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

It's great to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious Skin) in the juicy role of a high-school gumshoe on the trail of his estranged girlfriend's killers. Full Review

Steven Rea
May 5, 2006
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Alas, Brick, from writer-director Rian Johnson, isn't as clever as its conceit.

Tom Long
April 28, 2006
Tom Long, Detroit News

Brick is smart -- perhaps too smart for its own good at times. But in the end, its affectations add up to entertainment. Full Review

Bill Muller
April 20, 2006
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

Although Brick can be a bit thick, you have to admire the effort. Full Review

Chris Vognar
April 8, 2006
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

Brick drops down like a frenzied teen fever dream of criminal patter and hairpin plot turns. A word to the wise: Pay attention, or you'll feel a lot less wise. Full Review

J. R. Jones
April 8, 2006
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

There's no denying that Brick is weirdly expressive, often when it seems most artificial. What begins as the most gimmicky sort of genre retread somehow evolves into that most elusive of films: a pers... Full Review

Susan Walker
April 7, 2006
Susan Walker, Toronto Star

It is possible to leave Brick without fully appreciating how all the pieces fit together, but still satisfied by a well-crafted tale undertaken by a director who pays homage to a film tradition in a t... Full Review

Neva Chonin
April 7, 2006
Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle

Johnson isn't the first director to subvert suburbia, but he's probably the first to have done such a fine job of it on his first outing. Full Review

Rick Groen
April 7, 2006
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

It's a clever gimmick, cleverly wrought, offering further evidence that you can dress up the student body in all manner of garb for all types of genres. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
April 7, 2006
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

If Brick isn't totally successful, it does make Johnson a director to watch.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Brendan Fry: So now we've shaken the tree. Let's wait and see what falls on our heads.
    • The Brain: She nearly shook me upside down. Can't say I didn't enjoy it, but why'd she come to me?
    • Brendan Fry: I'd have to keep one eye tied to watch both your hands.
    • Brendan Fry: Can I borrow a cigarette?
    • Tugg: I don't smoke.
    • Brendan Fry: I've seen you smoke.
    • Tugg: I don't smoke cigarettes.
    • Laura: Do you trust me now?
    • Brendan Fry: Less than when I didn't trust you before.
    • Brendan Fry: Throw one at me if you want, hash head. I've got all five senses and I slept last night, that puts me six up on the lot of you.
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