Brick Reviews (original) (raw)

This film is reminiscent of a black and white detective film, so as such it is relatively 'film noir'-ish I'd say. I say that due to the sort of traditional dialogue used and the tone of the film which is set by quite old fashioned PI type music (almost sleazy jazz style music in parts, while in others there's an almost ethereal piece played which sounds a little like wind chimes blowing in the breeze). The main character is a bit of a loner, which also makes me think back to traditional detective films. It is quite gritty and urban, I think its fair to say. I suppose you could call it a mystery drama - I wouldn't categorise it as a thriller as such, although often these days mystery films are also thrillers but this particular film isn't particularly fast paced and it doesn't feature big visual effects or the like, so I wouldn't say it applies in this instance. I felt it was quite an atmospheric film - there's a fairly strong sense of tension throughout, as we wonder why things are the way they are. I found myself wanting to get the answers the main character, Brendan, seeks. It does well at keeping things quite mysterious. I noticed that there were many quite short scenes and often these would fade out to black before (obviously) the next one appeared, which adds to the feeling of being only able to part see the story, the sense of being kept in the dark somehow. As well as the music being almost ethereal or ghost like, there are also scenes in which you can hear what sounds like whooshing noises and peoples voices sound to be echoing - considering this is in the open, nowhere where there'd obviously be an echo, so its done for atmospheric effect. The plot is relatively slow but I didn't feel it became especially bland or boring, so it kept my interest throughout. I quite liked that Brendan seemed one of the less popular, more bland high school guys - being a bit of an underdog, I felt I was on his side. I liked some of the camera angles used during key scenes, which made it harder to see precisely what happened and made me jump slightly at times. I thought it added to the impact of the scene and also to the overall mysterious tone. Cast wise, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Brendan. I thought he was well cast, seeming quite believable as the loner and down-and-out type. He comes across as quite determined and anxious at different times but not unafraid to attempt a bargain. Other cast members include Noah Fleiss as Tugger, Noah Segan as Dode, Lukas Haas as The Pin and Nora Zehetner as Laura. This film was clearly not made with a big budget but I think its done well regardless, as there isn't always a need for masses of effects and I felt it was quite gripping, if but a bit disorientating, due to the camera angles used and the creepy musical score at times. If you happen to suffer from motion sickness then this film may not be ideal as there are times when the camera suddenly turns down quickly, which may take the viewer by surprise. Content wise, this film features some strong language and moderate violence, including gunfire and some blood is shown. There are also drug references but nothing else particularly graphic. This film carries a 15 rating to reflect this. Overall I feel this was a good film - I liked the tone of it and the main character but I did find the plot somewhat confusing and it is quite slow, which won't suit all, hence I'm opting for the 4 star rating overall. Yes I'd recommend this film, as I felt it was quite gritty and atmospheric, featuring a good performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and good use of music, despite the plot being a bit slow. Its worth a watch.