6 reviews

Totally appalling. Mumbled dialogue, as if written by children with a vague idea of how adults might sound. Embarrassingly bad. No idea how it even got distribution. One of the worst films I've ever seen. We kept turning to each other in disbelief as dreadful line followed dreadful line.

Ian 25 Feb 2008

Utterly terrible. I hated everything about it. Pretentious, wooden acting (particularly the lead roles) and predictable, overdone violence. Incidentally, Donnie Darko is one of my favourite films - absolutely no comparison.

pigpen 24 May 2006

A pastiche of early 20th century pulp fiction that is almost too cool to NOT be set in school, Brick twins the steely alienation we know from film noir with shruggy playground outsiderdom. While this connection makes perfect sense, the film could still easily have lapsed into a stiff, conceited, intellectual exercise that floundered as storytelling or any kind of narrative that the audience could honestly invest in. Thankfully, this is prevented by the cast, who deliver some very stylised dialogue with conviction and plausible emotion, and by the well maintained tone that constantly remind the viewer that while, yes, we are only watching a movie, we aren't wasting our time on it.

Brick Director Rian Johnson was the editor of Lucky McKee's May, and while both are very witty and inventive films, and each clearly has a very particular audience in mind, it seems that Brick has the far greater crossover potential - even if May has a better lock on target and seems technically superior on many counts.

Trivia time: 7% of the budget of Brick was spent on acquiring the rights to The Velvet Underground's Sister Ray for the end credits.A great choice - but just one of may thousands that Johnson and his collaborators made in putting Brick together.

Wholeheartedly recommended.

Brendon Connelly 23 May 2006

Sin City meets American Pie. Surreal mix of film noir and high school jinx, and laced with references to other films. Highly stylised dialogue and acting, but ordinary-looking actors and setting. For example, the gang leader has a den/office in a basement that turns out to be underneath the family home. When they've finished beating each other up and arguing over the drugs, they go upstairs for a glass of orange juice served by the gang leader's mother. Not bad at all.

clvinnicombe 22 May 2006

Dull and pretentious. Maybe it was too clever for me, but I opted for last orders over the ending.

Miss Moppet 21 May 2006

Dark, clever and moreish. Aside from brief moments where I wondered if I was stuck in a very dark version of the OC, this film had me captivated throughout. Brilliant dialogue: a rhythm to die for, comebacks galore and wit to boot. Similar tone to Donnie Darko, but more high-fi that sci-fi.

Loved it! Just go see it.

Cy 12 May 2006