Article: 14 Years Late...

By Sophie Minello

I’m usually late on the good-movie-train. In this case, I’m just about 14 years late. But, 14 years or not, Brick (2005) is a movie that you don’t want to pass up. Looking for a thriller type movie, I stumbled upon this film. The synopsis of it described a high school boy gets a desperate call from his girlfriend crying for help, only to find her dead a few days later. The movie traces main character Brendan’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) moves as he tries to uncover what exactly happened to his ex Emily. It’s a film that you need to pay attention to as you watch it, or you might miss something. I remember as I watched it, some of the lingo and dialogue went over my head. Don’t fret, because things will come together at the wondrous end of the movie. Despite the mild confusion, the visuals and characters were intriguing. Though the film was created independently on a low budget, director Rian Johnson is sure to play with angles and establish solid characters to keep the audience engaged.

I’m not very familiar with the noir style films, but after watching this I’m hooked. Noir is defined as “a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity.” Based on this description, it seems like a fascinating genre. With Brick, the genre was taken to a new stage since it was based in a high school setting, which is uncommon to say the least. Strange to think that these 17-18 year old seniors would be caught in a crime circle, but somehow, Johnson made the concept work brilliantly. He even creates an environment where they poke fun at the idea with scenes where the kids sit around the dinner table as one of their mothers serves them corn flakes and a glass of apple juice. Despite its mysterious genre, the film keeps a light spirit, never taking itself too seriously.

Now, I’m no professional movie critic, but any movie that has you pondering long after the end credits roll is a special one. The way everything comes together in such a smooth way, where the watcher is piecing together the puzzle as well as the characters, is the best kind of viewing experience.