SMALLS GETS HIGH ON BRICK

In preparation for Rian Johnson's Looper, I decided to re-watch his directorial debut, a different little masterpiece known as Brick.

In Brick, we follow Branden (Joseph Gordon Levitt), a smart high-school loner. After receiving a frantic call from his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin), Branden begins his own investigation in an attempt to find out what had her so panicked. He eventually finds her dead body outside a tunnel. Angry and confused, he delves even deeper into the mystery and soon finds himself infiltrating the different social structures of high school before eventually winding up in a drug ring.

All the actors do a pretty good job, but make no mistake, Brick is Jospeh Gordon Levitt's film and he shines here like it's nobodies business. This, in my opinion, is the best performance he has given so far. He plays Branden as a quiet, incredibly smart, and angry loner that keeps his emotions to himself. For most of the film, he is constantly thinking, attempting to figure things out but he puts forth a blank expression, almost as if the events he's witnessed have made him numb or that he's afraid to let anyone too close to him. He also gets to show off his fighting skills here as several scenes call for him to brawl with other characters, and he does a more than impressive job. Characters do try to trick Branden throughout the film, but he always has the upper hand. Branden is the classic noir detective, except he's a teenager.  Joseph Gordon Levitt is one of the best actors of our generation, and he proves that here time and time again.

Brick is essentially a throw back to the Noir's of old, except that it's been polished up for today. The setting is a new one( that of a high school. I really dug the choice to set it here as I'm pretty sure I've never seen a Noir in high school before. The film also perfectly captures the different social structures in high school and what life at that age can be like...except it adds an adult flavor into the mix that makes for a more mature feel), the characters are new renditions of classic noir staples (the detective, the detective's info man, the femme fatale, the authority figure which in this film is the vice principal of the High School...really neat touch,  etc), and the story is classic noir all the way.

The only thing that may throw viewers for a loop is the fancy lingo used in Brick. I myself did have some trouble keeping up with what all the slang meant, but I learned to roll with the punches and by the end I could  do a decent job at figuring out what the characters were saying. Remember, if you do have trouble making out what characters are saying you can always switch on subtitles...so that helps.

Noir is a dying genre, so I'm really glad we have a film like Brick that isn't afraid to stand up for Noir and remind us how great of a genre it really is. Brick crafts an intricate, intriguing story, fun characters, and a world built around high school. It's a different little masterpiece that is easily one of the best noir films out there. If you're a fan of Noir, you should see Brick....if not, see it anyway for Joseph Gordon Levitt's stand up and cheer worthy performance (he really is at his absolute best). Brick is a cool, different film that only a fool would pass up.

4.5 STARS