|
|
 |
| |
Satisfying homage to 1930s film noir
BRICK
Directed by Rian Johnson
Certificate 15
THE era of pulp crime fiction of the late 1920s and early 1930s inspired hundreds of detective films. It was a period where both British and American
cheap paperbacks were crammed with dastardly characters doing their best to bump people off for love or money.
Brick borrows so much from this era, but rather than feel like some kind of spoof 1930s rip-off, like Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy, Brick takes the darkness of film noir and brings it to a new audience.
Writer and director Rian Johnson has assembled a cast who are not tipping a wink towards the black and white stars of the past – they are too busy re-inventing the genre for today.
And for all the borrowing of styles there is an original plot.
When quiet High School student Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) discovers the body of his former girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin) in a ditch, he sets out on a journey to unravel what happened to her and why.
He had received a mysterious phone call from her the day before she died and he is eaten up by the need to discover what happened.
We are given clues, red herrings, and a real mystery to unravel. Nothing is signposted for the characters or the viewer.
Brendan delves into a murky world – uncovering a high school drug ring that he thinks is someway responsible for the death.
And classic film noir characters pop up along the way.
He is harassed by the principal who wants him to leave the case alone – a role normally played by a grumpy police chief in 1930s films – and his witnesses are a host of well-observed cold fishes that flit in and out of the scenery as the trail blows hot and cold.
Johnson has created a solid crime thriller, with a neat script. In places, the danger of over-acting is cleverly avoided, and the young team of actors take their roles deadly seriously.
As Brendan unravels the web, he meets the classic crime boss – only this time it’s a drug-dealing 20-something who peddles his wares from the basement of his mother’s house.
The film offers great camera work, thoughtful dialogue and an ending that leaves you satisfied.
Brick is a classy visit to the golden era of movie making. |
|
|
|
