Brick

2005

Director: Rian Johnson

Distributor: Focus Features

Key Elements: Concept, Story, Lines

My Review:

Film noir relocated, this movie takes the violent, criminal underground of half a century ago and sets it in a modern, west coast high school.

The juxtaposition of present-day teens and latter-day patterns of speech creates a surreal undercurrent for a high-stakes drama.

Brendan’s character is particularly interesting. We get hints that he is a loner and a thinker, yet we don’t know much else about him. One thing we know, he loved Emily with a fierce, protective love. Now he’s dead set to make certain that those who took her from him get taken.

Trailer:


Quotes:

• Look, I did what she said with the brick. I didn't know it was bad, but The Pin's on it now for poor Frisco, and they're playing it all on me.
• Come on at me if you want, hash head. I've got all five senses and I slept last night - that puts me six up on the lot of you.
• When the "Upper-Crust" does shady deeds, they do them all over town, and the pitch is they got these little symbols so they can tell each other without word getting around.
• Ask any dope rat where their junk sprang and they'll say they scraped it from that who scored it from this who bought it off so and after four or five connections the list always ends with the Pin. But I bet if you got every rat in town together and said 'show your hands' if any of them've actually seen the Pin, you'd get a crowd of full pockets.
• You think nobody sees you. Eating lunch behind the portables. Loving some girl like she's all there is, anywhere, to you. I've always seen you. Or maybe I liked Emily. Maybe I see what you're trying to do for her, trying to help her, and I don't know anybody who would do that for me.
• You're the only thing I love!

Stills: