Brick is a true achievement. Unlike many "Indies" funded by large studios or very rich individuals, with big name actors "lending" their talent because they 'liked the concept', Brick takes a talented cast (all experienced character, TV, B-movie and bit-part actors) attaches them to a fast-paced script ala Dashell Hammett, a plot which fuses Philip K. Dick, film noir and high-school camp comedy, music and photography which David Lynch would enjoy and an exceedingly clever presentation. I especially enjoyed the Richard Roundtree (Shaft) cameo!
Brick takes place in the context of High School drug culture, following a young man, Brendan (Gordon-Levitt), who seems half narcotics agent and half narcotics addict as he is swept along in a series of manipulations connected to the murder of his ex-girlfriend and the operation of a drug dealer called "The Pin" (Haas). The only aspects of Brendan's personality which appear to be entirely consistent are his love and devotion to Laura (Zehetner) - a Laura Palmer-like victim of teen confusion; his relationship with "The Brain" (O'Leary) - the only person he truly trusts; and his desire to find out who is pulling the strings in the puppet show which lead to Laura's death - and to make sure that this individual or group of individuals pays a very heavy price.
PAY ATTENTION! Do not attempt to watch this film under the influence of any form of intoxicant or while in a state of mental exhaustion. The dense dialog invents its own language, and proceeds at a break-neck pace. Even experienced noir-ites will find some of it hard to follow.
I saw the DVD version, which is slightly modified from what appeared at Sundance. Johnson's method is damn close to flawless! He pays homage to David Lynch's Twin Peaks in several places, and even improvises on some of Lynch's visual and sound cues. The plot, its pace and presentation are extremely well thought out - much more so than in most truly independent films and studio sponsored "Indies". There are no unnecessary scenes, and the order of presentation draws your attention consistently. The musical cues are also very clever - never overbearing and setting mood for every scene in which music is used. I especially enjoyed the Lynch-like use of white noise in some of the more disoriented high-tension scenes.
The cast is very good, and though I recognized Haas immediately from his numerous small parts in major productions, it was very refreshing to see see an Indy cast which did not either involuntarily or intentionally exploit star power. Some of the cast members will undoubtedly improve their prospects through this film. Johnson has helped them open doors to art-film, independent cinema and even mainstream.
If you're interested in seeing the work of a rising directoral talent, I strongly recommend "Brick". Whether or not you enjoy disturbing and relentlessly dialog-driven detective stories, this film is worth seeing for the raw cinematographic brilliance it effuses. It is a remarkably well done low-medium budget film. Kudos!
Brick takes place in the context of High School drug culture, following a young man, Brendan (Gordon-Levitt), who seems half narcotics agent and half narcotics addict as he is swept along in a series of manipulations connected to the murder of his ex-girlfriend and the operation of a drug dealer called "The Pin" (Haas). The only aspects of Brendan's personality which appear to be entirely consistent are his love and devotion to Laura (Zehetner) - a Laura Palmer-like victim of teen confusion; his relationship with "The Brain" (O'Leary) - the only person he truly trusts; and his desire to find out who is pulling the strings in the puppet show which lead to Laura's death - and to make sure that this individual or group of individuals pays a very heavy price.
PAY ATTENTION! Do not attempt to watch this film under the influence of any form of intoxicant or while in a state of mental exhaustion. The dense dialog invents its own language, and proceeds at a break-neck pace. Even experienced noir-ites will find some of it hard to follow.
I saw the DVD version, which is slightly modified from what appeared at Sundance. Johnson's method is damn close to flawless! He pays homage to David Lynch's Twin Peaks in several places, and even improvises on some of Lynch's visual and sound cues. The plot, its pace and presentation are extremely well thought out - much more so than in most truly independent films and studio sponsored "Indies". There are no unnecessary scenes, and the order of presentation draws your attention consistently. The musical cues are also very clever - never overbearing and setting mood for every scene in which music is used. I especially enjoyed the Lynch-like use of white noise in some of the more disoriented high-tension scenes.
The cast is very good, and though I recognized Haas immediately from his numerous small parts in major productions, it was very refreshing to see see an Indy cast which did not either involuntarily or intentionally exploit star power. Some of the cast members will undoubtedly improve their prospects through this film. Johnson has helped them open doors to art-film, independent cinema and even mainstream.
If you're interested in seeing the work of a rising directoral talent, I strongly recommend "Brick". Whether or not you enjoy disturbing and relentlessly dialog-driven detective stories, this film is worth seeing for the raw cinematographic brilliance it effuses. It is a remarkably well done low-medium budget film. Kudos!