Review: Brick

I make movies.

Because I love movies.

Especially the good ones.

"Brick" is a good one. A REALLY good one.

Imagine "The Maltese Falcon", but, instead of the streets of gangland-era San Francisco, the story takes place in and around the confines of an equally seedy & dangerous Southern California high school.

Yeah, I know - it sounds crazy on it's surface. But, honestly, it's the best written, acted, & directed film I've seen in a theater this year.

Period.

Moreover, I'm equally inspired by the writer/director Rhian Johnson's story - this is the first script he wrote coming out of film school, and then he and his best bud & cinematographer spent the next 6 years trying to raise the roughly $500,000 necessary to get it in the can. But, during that time, they continued to "work" on the film itself, so that, by the time they actually got to the set, they knew EXACTLY what they were doing and how and why, which is why it has the stylish yet incredibly accomplished look it possesses.

Did I mention it's also got Richard "Shaft" Roundtree as the Vice-Principle and an appropriately naughty Meagan Good as the literal drama queen femme fetale?


Anyway, check out the trailer and get a peek for yourself. Nothing I say here can really do it justice.

And, if you want to see a future superstar in the making, check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt's turn as Brendan, the hardboiled teenage Sam Spade of our story. Between this and his role in last year's Mysterious Skin (one of the most hypnotically disturbing movies I've ever seen), you'll completely forget that he was the little kid on "3rd Rock From The Sun".

Right now, it's only in L.A. & New York, but keep an eye out - I suspect Focus is going to give it a wide release soon.

UPDATE - January 22, 2013: Boy, was I right about Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or WHAT?  :-)

For a limited period of time, you can watch "Brick", it it's entirety, on Hulu.  See?



And, if you need an addititonal Megan Good fix, you may also want to check out her new show, "Deception", also on Hulu.