Brick
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Matt O’Leary, Emilie de Ravin, Noah Segan, Megan Good
Tagline: A detective movie by Rian Johnson.
BRICK is neo-noir set in high school. So not only is it a high school flick, it’s a hardboiled detective story. Rian Johnson in his directorial debut draws heavily from the works of Dashiell Hammett in crafting this great film, a labyrinth mystery involving Brendan (Levitt), a moody teenager (hey, who isn’t?), who has alienated himself from the rest of cliques around school. But when he receives a frightened phone call from his ex-girlfriend Emily (de Ravin), who speaks in riddles with words like “brick,” “tug,” and “pin,” Brendan leaves his self-exile to interact with the jocks, stoners and high school socialites to look for answers. Crossing paths with nefarious types while defiant to not be a snitch to the vice-principal, it all leads to secrets and betrayal. And what is high school but not a four-year journey full of secrets, betrayal and bad cafeteria food?
Memorable Quote: “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.”
