The first of Fortress of Geek's film focus, an in depth look
at a films that contain the essence of geek. In this Film Focus, we will be looking at the film “Brick”, by Rian
Johnson.
Brick is a most unusual film. It uses a conventional setting, with characters that fit it well. And it contains a conventional plot with the appropriate dialog. The twist lies in the fact that the genre of the plot and dialog is a completely genre then its setting and characters. Confused yet? Good. On with the explanation.
The setting for Brick is a high school and surrounding neighborhood. It is filled with the usual characters. The loner high school student, the druggie dropout, the football jocks, the bespectacled nerd, all typical. The plot, however, is a classic noir, a 30’s era crime caper, the kind of thing you would expect to star Humphrey Bogart and involve a mysterious statue of a winged beast. What makes the use of this genre even more unusual is the dialog, which is vintage 30’s, spoken at the rapid fire pace of the films of that time. It’s probably the first film in which most viewers will hear phrases like “pie house rat” and “Look, I'm not heeling you to hook you”.
So what of it, does a modern high school drama fused with a 30’s crime caper actually produce something you’d want to watch? Well… that seems to be a matter of opinion. If you’re not a noir movie buff, versed in the slang and rhythm of 30’s noir dialog, your going to have to pay attention, this is not a flick to watch while browsing youtube. You need to listen and you need to process what your hearing, and for some people that will be more work then they allow in their entertainment. But for those willing to make the effort, the fusion of genres really creates something new and different. With most of today’s movies, the plot is entirely visual, watch them with the sound off and you still know that Bruce Willis is the aging hero, sacrificing his life to blow up some rock that going to smack into earth. With Brick, the plot IS the dialog, you can’t have one without the other. Overall, I loved the mixture, and I found it a great way to experience a genre I would normally stay far away from.
Moving beyond the genre mash up, everything else about the film is done quite well. The sets and locations are realistic for the most part, and when they get a little over the top (like the Pin’s van), its funny enough to excuse. The film is well acted, and I thought it was a great new direction in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s career, who was formerly the girly looking kid in 3rd Rock from the Sun. The rest of the casting was also quite good, mixing some new faces in with some that you will be surprised to recognize.
Overall, if you want film that’s not like anything else you’ll see this year, and you’re willing to pay attention, Brick might be the flick for you. For more info, check it’s entry in the IMDB, found here.
Happy viewing.
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