Brick (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

BRICK is a noir story the likes of The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon - except set in a modern day Californian high school. If this premise seems ludicrous to you, I can't imagine you'd appreciate this film. However, I thought the change up worked really well. Having your reluctant hero be a jaded, withdrawn teen who eats his lunch behind the school and yearns to solve the mystery of what happened to his ex-lady love completely enthralled me. The twists on the old form are interesting. The vamp being a drama student with a surprisingly posh dressing room. The go-to sidekick being a nerd with access to his mom's cell phone. The muscle being a growling hip hop inspired pot smoker. The movie seethes with a smart energy and the dialogue sizzles. And even after you watch the first time, and the mystery is solved, Brandon's journey is so intense and swirling that it's great to watch over and over again. The soundtrack and cinematography complete the package to make a slick movie that is both fun and dark. My favorite scene is the one that (for me) best encapsulates the film's tone: Brandon gets pulled into the vice principal's office, where he is asked to rat out potential dealers on school property. Brandon says he is no man's stoolie. He did it once, but that was "to see [the dealer] eaten not to see you [the VP] fed!" He then shouts that if the VP has a discipline issue with him "write me up or suspend me!" This scene so clearly mirrors those scenes where the noir hero is asked to compromise his own investigation that I was tittering throughout. This film is an original and interesting tale with beautiful camera work and excellent performances. Highly recommended. One note of warning: Sadly, the packaging of this movie gives away some of the twists and turns in the movie. SO I would recommend not looking too hard at the cover before checking it out.

This the first film directed by one of today's greatest directors, Rian Johnson("The Brothers Bloom", "The Last Jedi", the beautiful "Looper"(apart from "Blade Runner 2046", 'Looper' is the finest & most original Sci-Fi film in decades) & the genius 2019 "Knives Out", which I believe was one of the only films snubbed by the Oscar Nominations. It really is an ensemble piece performance driven, but Rian certainly deserved a Best Director nomination, along with a screenplay nod. But this was his first effort, an instant classic. It's like a classic Detective story from the 40's/50's, only modern & set in Orange County High School with a ferociously driven protagonist played by Rian Johnson's favorite collaborator, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, along with a bevy of unique supporting cast members(such as Lukas Haas, Matt O' Leary, Nora Zehetner, Noah Fleiss, Noah Segan, Meagan Good, Emilie de Ravin('Lost') & Richard Roundtree('Shaft', the original) with excellent crime names. "Brick" is easily one of the boldest, trailblazing independent films, with the production value of a $100M studio film, and the brilliant, undeniable benefit of the haunting score from his brother, Nathan Johnson. This is a Special Edition of 'Brick', in the first Blu-Ray version with a 4K transfer approved by director Rian Johnson, along with multiple extra's. It's the equivalent of a Criterion Collection in content & is a Must Own for any righteous lover of Rian's film's, especially the masterwork that started it all.

Brick is not an easy film to take. It's a picture where if you choose to place yourself within the realms of reality, your going to find yourself hopelessly lost within this film's framework. The film is a High School film but not in the conventional sense. It's not a period piece, but is in a contemporary setting. The characters and dialouge are not the way real High School kids may talk, but that's not the point of the world created. What this film is supposed to present is the world of classic Film Noir in a setting not very usual. If you can accept the fact of kids talking in 30s and 40s idiomatics than you'll be able to appreciate the picture. The plot is a familiar one to fans of this dark genre: a young man is searching for the murderer of his girlfriend and is caught in a world of betrayal, murder and madness. It's amazing how captivating the film is and it looks like it was fun to do, since the dialouge, which may be laborious for some, is justifiably cool and absolutely fun to hear. The characters are very engaging including a terrific lead performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has clearly left his "Third Rock From The Sun" days far behind him. He's effective as the loner, able to meld the right combination of world weariness and charisma to make the audience follow his story. He's supported by a fine cast, all representing the genre's archetypes including the lovely Nora Zehetner as the requisite femme fatale who's got a thing for our hero. Her refreshing mixture of sexiness and vulnerability keeps her character sympathetic throughout. There's Noah Fleiss as the thuggish strong man of the town's leading drug dealer and he brings a suitable mixture of insanity and agression to his cliched role. Top acting honors though must go out to Lukas Haas who portrays the flamboyant drug dealer "the Pin", a role the young actor plays with a suitable sense of dramatic bravado. Direction is top notch and fast paced, the film rarely missing a beat as it moves through it's jagged and rough plot. The film at times comes dangerously close to being too self indulgent, but is able to walk it's tightrope with relative ease. The DVD features some interesting extras including director's commentary(quite humorous actually) and deleted scenes. Nothing crucial, but interesting nonetheless. The film is not for everyone, but for those willing to take a chance and if you have appreciation for the classic films of the Crime genre, you may find yourself enjoying this little indie sleeper.

mi aspettavo di più. L'idea è bella: trasferire il linguaggio, le atmosfere e la trama di un noir in un'ambientazione da college/teen movie americano. Poco riuscito, però (troppo filmetto indipendente per i miei gusti)

"Brick" ist einfach ein cooler Film-Noir im Highschool-Millieu. Dem Held habe ich anfangs nicht viel zugetraut, doch er ist nicht nur clever, sondern scheut auch vor keinem körperlichen Konflikt zurück. Zusammen mit seinem Partner "Brain" will er einen komplizierten Mordfall lösen, der ihn die tief in die Drogenszene der Stadt führt. Die unverbrauchte Schauspielerriege kann durchweg überzeugen, genau wie die tolle Atmosphäre des Films. Im Verlauf seiner Ermittlungen trifft Brendan auf allerlei schräge Typen und schöne Frauen und muss dabei verschiedenste Hinweise wie in einem Puzzle zusammensetzen. Das alles erinnert stark an klassische Bogart-Filme aus der schwarzen Serie, es wirkt aber in der heutigen Highschool-Szene dennoch frisch und originell. Fazit: Sehr sehenswerter Highschool-Thriller nach klassischer Gangsterfilm-Machart.

De film is een uitstekende neo-noir handelend over een moord is gesitueerd in de leefwereld van de Amerikaanse tiener. Een ondergewaardeerde en enigsins door het grote publiek over het hoofd geziene film. Met de film zelf is niets mis. Een sterk verhaal die door de goede transfernaar HD goed tot zijn recht komt. Maar, de blu-ray heeft één storend probleem. Er zijn 2 gesproken taal opties, origineel Engels en een nagesinchroniseerde Franse. Om mij onduidelijke reden komt de Engelse taal optie met Franse ondertiteling die niet uit gezet kan worden. De Franse taaloptie komt zonder enige vorm van ondertiteling. Deze Franse ondertiteling kan naar verloop van tijd als irririterend worden ervaren. Afgezien van dat en het Franse menu -die ook voor niet Frans sprekende zeer gemakkelijk in het gebruik is- is dit een uitstekende blu-ray. Een film die ik absoluut aanraad.

This film is one of the best films I have ever seen; and I've seen a lot of films. I was totally captivated by the script, old fashioned yet completely on the pulse. Moving away from the realism that has been dominating the modern market, brilliantly capturing the essence of old style noir, with the lyrical dialogue superbly written and acted, by a fantastic and suprising cast and fresh director. Whilst juxtaposed with the high school setting and contemporary filming. Baz luhrmann's Shakespeare, meets Scorsese's gansters, with the shocking brilliance of Larry Clarks' 'Kids.' (less explicit though) The high school drama takes on a new life and a new intensity, rather than patronising teenagers in the ilk of ott studio money makers like American Pie. This film captures the intensity of school. Whilst keeping a balanced audience, of both young and old. It reminds me of what I love about cinema, fantastic direction, beautfully haunting score, stunning cinematography and brilliant acting. Understated and superb! So, in summary I think it's crap... don't watch it.

Perfect