I expected great things of Brick. I enjoyed the trailers, and it received pretty good reviews. So I bought the DVD without having seen it.

It’s a story of drugs, murder, and a murder analysis. There’s a drug lord, his hired muscle, a detective, his loyal sidekick, and a femme fatale. It’s a film noir. And it’s set in a modern-day American high school. Yes, they’ve taken those two staples of US cinema and mixed them together into one great concept.

So, does it work?

Well, on a assured level it does. It’s surprising just how well, in fact. But there are some incongruities. The scene in the assistant vice-principal’s office didn’t play out for me. It just seemed too forced.

And the age of the actors plus hindered my viewing satisfaction. Fans of gritty cop show

The Shield will recognize Brian White, who played Tavon in season 3. White was born in 1973. What the fuck is he doing playing a high-school student in 2005, age 32?! The lead role of Brendan is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, age 24; and Laura is played by Heroes star Laura Zehetner, additionally 24 years old. Come on, let’s get real and cast some humans who look like they could actually be schoolkids!

What could have been a great and original film turned into an interesting but flawed experiment in mixing genres. And the tale got so convoluted that it was even essential to have Brendan tell the viewers precisely what the fuck happened! A shame…

Scored
Acting: 13
Story: 13
Direction: 14
Enjoyment: 14
Involvement: 15
Total: 69

Original post by * (asterisk)