I had no idea what to expect with Brick. Within the first minute I knew I would like it. Creative, artistic, and dark. Dialogue is stilted, Bogart style, with just the right amount of tongue in cheek, and the right amount of seriousness to make it work like a charm. The dialogue made the movie.
Beautifully done! Brick was a fast paced and dark mystery, but cannot be put anywhere near the category of mysteries most would think of. It was completely unique. This one is worth watching again!
Watched on DVD, Friday, March 6, 2009
I think this was a brilliant movie. The first impression the viewer gets from the movie that it is simply trying to confuse the viewer in order to be cool. Nothing could be further from the truth, because nearly everything in this movie is purposeful. The characters and dialogue seem strange and stilted at first until you realize it is an homage to the novels and movies of Dashel Hamet and film noir. But beyond that, Brick doesn't settle for a simple quasi-parody of that era. It tells the story as though someone like Hamet was a Gen-Xer. Once you become familiar with the movie's lexicon and style, you feel like you just took a crash course from Rosetta Stone and you're watching in a movie in a foreign language that you actually understand.
ReplyDeleteAs if that weren't enough (and maybe it's not enough in and of itself), the story is simply flat out compelling. Not only was I thoroughly engaged throughout the story (at least after I began catching on to the language and style in th first 15 minutes), but there were at least 3 or 4 moments in the movie when I was on the edge of my seat. If a movie genuinely gets me on the edge of my seat once or twice, that is usually a success.
Overall, a really great movie, and certainly Brick would be at the top of my least of hidden gems.