Brick is a modern day noir with a plot so labyrinthine that it might very well give Raymond Chandler’s pulp fictions a run for money. And since we are not accustomed to have young people without any creases on their faces as noir protagonists or private dicks, the director’s decision to base the story in a high school setting, peopled almost completely with teenagers, reeks with audacity. However, or perhaps because of the high school setting, the film didn’t have the kind of pulpy feel to it that the plot desperately needed to have, nor did the characters appear aligned to the film’s theme – they seemed too shallow and too young to be believable. The plot concerns a young loner, who, while investigating his ex-girlfriend’s death, infiltrates a local drug cartel and exposes those responsible for her gruesome murder. The film is dark, comprises of a well-paced narrative, and boasts of two fine performances by the actors in the respective roles of the laconic protagonist and the mysterious femme fatale. Unfortunately, because of the reasons mentioned above, and the overtly complicated plot, the movie never managed to engage my senses as much as I would have liked.
Director: Rian Johnson
Genre: Crime Thriller/Post-Noir/Mystery
Language: English
Country: US
9 comments:
I agree, 'Brick' didn't do it for me either. I didn't finish, the main character too boring for me.
Maye I didn't get it, but I was expecting something better based on people praising this movie on the web.
Exactly, too much of hype and praise can at times spoil the broth for the viewers, cos one tends to expect too much from the movie - far more than it is actually worth. A simpler plot could have at least ensures an easier watch.
Cudnt find the right forum...so commenting here...Awesome makeover man, the new theme rocks like a cradle on nitrous!
Peace.
Thanks a lot buddy. Thanks too for adding a nice analogy to my lexicon :)
Didn't watch "Brick" but must say your reviews are really well written. Stumbled upon your website today and was blown away both by the looks and the contents. Keep up the great work!
BTW left a comment on your "Apocalypse Now" review. You need to get hold of "Redux"
Yeah, I read your comment to my Apocalypse Now review, and have just now replied to it. Thanks a lot once again. The think is, very few people I meet seem to be interested in "good" movies as opposed to popular movies. Consequently, not many people there at workplace knew about this passion of mine.
By the way, how did you manage to stumble upon this humble blog of mine? And do keep visiting.
@Shubhajit: The real point here is that yours is no 'humble' blog. The effort that you put into your work is clearly visible and nothing in your work might suggest that this is just a hobby, its so well put together. You know what's really funny? Until today afternoon, I used to run around telling people that I never did go onto higher studies/career moves through CAT, GRE, GMAT, Civil Services (never considered giving these exams even once) because I love the arts and wanted to stick to doing things I am interested in. And here you are, living proof that it was all a shabby, shoddy excuse for my laziness! :P :_( Sniff... sniff.
Here's something I wrote before I stumbled upon your blog. Thanks for bringing me back to the hard facts of life. No pain, no gain!
http://virtual-inksanity.blogspot.com/2008/02/ba-mechanical-engineering.html
As it so happened, I clicked on your G-talk link and landed on your blog. Well, it's true that few people appreciate 'good' cinema as opposed to 'popular' cinema, but cheer up 'coz it has always been that way and will continue to remain so.
Talking of war/anti-war films, try "The Bridge on the River Kwai". I sincerely hope that it'll maneuver itself onto your top 100 list. I personally am really fond of it.
Well, my movie viewing has fallen drastically since I started pursuing higher studies. And so has my reading. So there you go ;)
And so now I can't really get back to the life that I used to live while working at you-know-where. But I don't know if I'll ever get the kind of life I had before joining IIM-S.
My only reason for joining for that I couldn't see myself anywhere in the next few years. Had I got some sense of direction, I would have chosen that life any day over the kind of hectic life I'm leading now and might go on to lead quite a few more years.
Yeah, I know, popular cinema or arts is always going to remain more popular as compared to good cinema or arts. After all, that's the point, isn't it? I've more or less resigned to that fact, though I do try and brainwash people from time to time in order to appreciate my point of view :)
Bridge on the River Kwai happens to one of the favourite movies of my father too. I'd watched it when I was a kid, so I really need to watch it again to form a more concrete opinion about it. Nonetheless, I have a feeling I'll like it when I watched it again.
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