Review of Brick (2006) by Chris N — 03 Jun 2010

I wouldn't say I expected not to like this movie, but I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. When someone tells you it's a "film noir set at a high school," it just makes you think it's going to be kitsch. But the mood was perfect...I felt like I was in a noir the whole time. The only exceptions were the obvious little winks from Rian Johnson at times, the tying of the straw, references to where people sat at lunch, The Pen's mother serving them juice during a particularly tense conversation. I didn't care, though. I've watched enough noir I felt I deserved a wink. The winks actually served to make it slightly accessible...to remind me that I'm watching a film.

I only have one more thing to say about it - that it reminded me of watching Blue Velvet. It nails a mood while also subverting a part of it at the same time. Lynch captured the mood of the 50s, and turned that on its head with some gritty drugs and violence. Brick delivers a film noir, but turns that on its head with the occasional reminder that all of this is happening at a school, and that in itself is absurd. I think, of course, that Lynch's film is a greater accomplishment, but Brick is an accomplishment in its own right, and I loved every minute of it. It's a smart film that requires attention and doesn't slow down for you. It's a film that respects its audience and you don't find that much these days.