Brick by Rian Johnson is a neo-noir that has a narrative that centres on a hard-boiled detective story. A high school student, named Brendan, attempts to solve the murder of his ex-girlfriend Emily after he finds her body lying in a storm drain. To help him solve the case he must become close friends with fellow high school students Laura, Tug, Dode, Kara, Brad and The Pin. All turn out to be pivotal in Brendan's quest to find the truth of Emily's death.
The film contains some typical noir characters such as Brendan who is the Hero and Laura who is the Femme Fatale. Smoking plays an integral part in the role of the Femme Fatale which is typical of a noir. The dialogue has characteristics of a film noir, this is highly evident in one scene where Brendan is talking to his vice-principal and the impression is created that Brendan is a detective and the vice-principal is a police chief.
Cinematography is used in a way that the camera work mirrors the quick and fast dialogue. Editing is also used to create the noir feeling, fades give the impression of changes in time, also fast-paced jump cuts add tension to a scene. Flashbacks were common in a film noir and Rian Johnson uses them in Brick when Brendan recalls the phone call he received from Emily two days before her death.
Brick received generally positive reviews and won the special Jury prize for originality of vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. I feel the audience for Brick are people who enjoy off-beat entertainment as the film is a murder-mystery that features the important elements of a film noir.
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