The reason I added this 2005 film to my Blindspot list was simple. I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and have seen most of his films. With that in mind, I set myself a goal to watch his lesser known film Brick. The fact that it’s also the directorial debut for Rian Johnson, was simply a coincidence. Turns out, adding Brick was like getting hit by a brick.
While I’m thrilled that I have made it half way through this year’s Blindspot series, part of me is frustrated that I wasted one of my picks to Brick. This movie, while trying to be so many things at once, is simply confusing and too artsy for my taste. The script is partly poetic, but never enough for it to be a constant element. The flow is rocky and honestly, I hardly understood what was happening.
A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. That’s how the plot is described and that’s apparently what the movie is about. And I guess for those who enjoy neo-noir, which apparently is not a genre for me, will love Brick and its unique way of telling a story. For me, there was no clarity in the story, and the elements it introduced were muddled and confusing from start to finish. There wasn’t a single moment in the movie that I could recall with clarity. It was simply a very confusing film, with a very confusing plot, and some very confusing methods of acting.
Emily said four words I didn’t know. Tell me if they catch. Brick?
– Brendan Frye
Rian Johnson directs and writes this film, that has very high ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. And while I’m always hesitant to comment negatively on films that are viewed as good, I have no fear in criticising Brick. The reason is simple, I just really didn’t like it. While most of my Blindspot picks have given me at least something to grab onto as positive, Brick didn’t gain any of my attention. You could say I gave up on it in the very beginning, and now I have nothing to say.
There were moments during the film where I thought I should just stop watching. That’s something I rarely think, and while I have had some bad luck with movies lately (Hotel Artemis), I never expected those types of thoughts during a Blindspot viewing. With so much love for it online, I expected to love it, or at least like it to some extent. To come out of this with such negative thoughts and feelings was actually a shocking discovery. I guess there’s a lesson to be learned from this. Maybe I’m not into noir or neo-noir, and should stay clear from this genre…
Finally, I do admit that seeing Joesph Gordon-Levitt was somewhat comforting. I haven’t seen him lately, because he has been keeping a low profile. But even with one of my all time favourite actors as the lead, Brick never won me over. Which is why this review is so short and pointless.
BLIND SPOT SERIES WAS CREATED BY RYAN OVER AT THE MATINEE AND IS HOSTED BY SOFIA OVER AT RETURNING VIDEOTAPES
3
Ahh what a shame! I’ve honestly never heard of this movie before but I’ve been tempted to see more of Rian Johnson’s work so I am still tempted…
I mean I saw a lot of praise for it, A LOT, so you might end up liking it! It just wasn’t for me, I mean, maybe I wasn’t in the right mood.. I just, I don’t know.
I don’t know how I missed this review because Brick is one of my favorite movies, but I went back and looked for it after I saw your comment on Sofia’s blog. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo I’m so sad you hated this! I can understand though.
I also miss JGL. He hasn’t been doing much lately. I need more of him in my life.