Once in a while, a film comes around that will completely blow you away, and revolutionize the way you look at film in the future. For me, this was the film. Rian Johnson's directorial debut is such a spell-binding thriller that feels as if it's the only film of its kind, while in reality, it's also a faithful homage to the roots of film noir, particularly The Big Sleep and Miller's Crossing.
The movie centers around Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon Levitt), a lonely, disturbed teen who dives into the underworld of drugs and crime after getting a mysterious phone call from his ex-girlfriend, played by Emilie de Ravin. The film plays out at first like a simple detective flick, Brendan, in a desperate cryout for the truth, goes around asking for answers about her disappearance. But the farther he dives into her story, the farther he goes into a situation that ends in a series of deaths, arrests, and the sweet smell of resolution. Brendan gets involved with The Pin (Lukas Haas), the most powerful drug runner in the city, Brain (Matt O'Leary), the school's resident prodigy, who helps Brendan with his plans to take down who's responsible for his girlfriend's death under everyone's nose, Dode (Noah Segal), a druggie involved with Emily who comes to the conclusion that Brendan is her killer, Tug (Noah Fleiss), The Pin's lackey who's muscles are a bit bigger than his brain, and Laura (Nora Zehetner), a manipulative femme fatale who quickly becomes Brendan's love interest and is responsible for much of the trickery and tragedy that occurs during the film. It's likely apparent that I am being incredibly vague about the characters and the plot of the film, since it's really a film you must see without much knowledge of beforehand, since it will literally blow you away. Rian Johnson's screenplay is so elaborate and creative, it shocks you how you go into the first half of the film, with a ton of questions and thoughts about characters, and by the end, everything changes, and wraps up so well. Every character in the film is so complex, yet so seemingly hazy, you learn to relate to them while there's really nothing relatable about them.
The character's are so well-written and detailed to begin with, so giving a good performance was not very hard, but Levitt, Zehetner, and the rest of the cast still give some wonderful performances that are quite jaw-dropping. Joseph Gordon Levitt, after brilliant performances in Mysterious Skin and Manic, gives what I consider, the best performance of the decade. His performance as a teen desperate for the truth is so heartbreaking, it scares you. Nora Zehetner also does a fantastic job at being a strong, convincing good girl while in fact, being the person who causes most of the chaos. The rest of the cast also does a fantastic job, and really make you believe that what happens in the film is actually happening to them.
The film is also downright beautiful. Every shot is well-crafted, filled with color, and highly stylized. The film never looks dull, as every shot and scene is creative in it's own way. The makeup and art direction are also top-notch, and add to Johnson's already phenomenal direction. The film has to be seen to believed, and like the rest of the film, is almost impossible to write about. This film is just something that you have to see to believe.
Brick is one of the most thought-provoking and interesting films I've ever seen. Not once have I been so engrossed by a film. It's by far the best film of the year, and if that claim doesn't quite seem supported by this review, it's because it's plot is too incredible to spoil, it must be seen without any knowledge of the twists and turns that the film takes. In short, the film is just incredible.
