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Brick
2006 110 min United States of America R 16+
★7.2
Drama, Mystery, Crime
Director: Rian Johnson
Trailers
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Description
A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.
Budget:
$475,000
US Gross:
$2.08M
Worldwide:
$3.9M
Starring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Actor
Lukas Haas
Actor
Emilie de Ravin
Actor
Awards
Sundance Film Festival 2005
— Special Jury Prize (Drama)
Sundance Film Festival 2005
— Grand Jury Prize (Drama)
Key opinion
Rian Johnson's debut is a highly stylized neo-noir that transplants classic detective tropes into a high school setting with impressive technical ambition. While its unique, dense, and dialogue-heavy approach polarizes audiences regarding its accessibility and narrative pace, many critics and fans celebrate it as a cult masterpiece of independent filmmaking.
| Acting | Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance provides a necessary, grounding anchor for the stylized high-school noir environment. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay masterfully fuses traditional 1940s detective dialogue with contemporary teen archetypes to create a unique, labyrinthine mystery. | |
| Direction | The film’s low-budget direction effectively hides its financial constraints by relying on a confident atmosphere and clever staging. | |
| Accessibility | The highly stylized, fast-paced dialogue rewards attentive, genre-savvy viewers, while others find the dense exposition confusing and emotionally distancing. | |
| Pacing | The deliberate, slow-burn tempo creates a rewarding, hypnotic experience for some, while others find the film’s runtime feels excessive and the plotting tedious. |