Review: Brick

This one was one of our "let's see what's new on Netflix Instant Watch" finds.  An indie movie I hadn't heard of before: Brick.

Plot:  A high school loner is contacted by his estranged ex-girlfriend, who's scared of something she won't explain to him.  When she turns up dead, he begins to investigate on his own, making his way into a web of drugs and murder.

So, it's film noir, but set in a modern-day SoCal high school.  And I mean true film noir:  the disillusioned, loner hero; the female lead who might be a damsel in distress or might be a femme fatale; the camera angles and play with shadows; the soundtrack, either very oppressively quiet or strident and jarring music (no Third Man zither, though); even Dashiell Hammett-esque speech patterns. 

However, it's still set in a modern high school.  So, jocks, drama kids, stoners, outcast nerds.  But all talking as if they're in The Maltese Falcon.  So get used to conversation that seems a little incongruous with the mouth it's coming from.  Seriously, Brendan (the lead) called Laura (the Girl) "Angel" in their last conversation, just like the final conversation in The Maltese Falcon.  I don't think I've EVER heard someone my age use that nickname in that manner.

The acting's very solid.  I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt in general, and this one proved to be another strong performance from him.  He plays the film noir hero very well, which can be a tricky balance - withdrawn and disillusioned, but not jaded or mean or unlikeable.  And for a movie in color, they did a very good job using the shadows the way a typical noir does (something a little easier in black and white, so definitely noticeable if they do it well in color).

Aside from the mind bend of the movie's premise (which was both a plus and a minus), my biggest frustration with the movie was the sound.  It was either very quiet or very loud, which worked with the story's events, but at the same time, it made it difficult at times.  And with the stylized speech patterns, the uneven soundtrack volume, and a tendency for hushed conversations, the dialogue was often challenging to follow.  There were a couple times where one of us had to look at the other and ask, "What did he just say?"  The mystery is supposed to be in events, not because you couldn't hear or follow the characters' conversations.

I honestly have no idea if I liked it or not.  Yeah, I know, watch a two hour movie and still can't tell if you like it.  There were points where I could pull back and appreciate the film noir tropes being used and reinterpreted in the modern story, and then there were times where it jarred and felt too surreal.  The acting and directing were all well done, but the story, the premise itself was what made it so unusual.  It's not an escapism movie, or a "make you think," Deep Subject sort of movie.  This was an "artistic" movie, if you know what I mean.

Overall:  No clue.  Not one for my shelf, but an interesting watch, especially if you like mysteries, indie films, or movies that are a little on the unusual side. 

And because I like series of character-based movie posters, these were the ones from Brick.