Brick - ACE Train Movie Review

An outsider by nature, Brendan is forced to penetrate the elaborate ranks of the high-school social scene and its more insidious underbelly when the body of his former girlfriend Emily is found lying lifeless in a remote creek. Though the pair had been on the outs, Brendan can't seem to shake the hysterical phone call that he received from Emily the day before her body was discovered, a call in which she rattled off a number of cryptic words: "brick," "pin," "tug," "poor Frisco." He's determined to find the guilty party, and to do that he'll need to uncover the meaning behind her enigmatic phone call. From the highest-ranking athlete to the lowest-level burnout, no one is above suspicion of leaving her in that creek or putting her in the position to end up there. Brendan's skill for getting the right attention from the right people leads him to a local drug dealer of urban-legendary status, who walks with a cane and lives with his mother. As Brendan infiltrates the social and political web more deeply, his theory solidifies and each player's role becomes clear, from the shifty-eyed pot slinger to an upper-crust innocent who may well be a femme fatale. Brendan may soon be ready to make his case, even if it's too late for him to get out.

This is a very good independent film. It starts out cryptic and confusing and the secrets start to become exposed as the film goes on. By the end of the film, everything comes together and makes sense, but you have to be patient. The story is original and is told in a unique way, but I think the best part of the film was the acting. All of the actors involved in this film were great and intriguing. The various characters played well off each other and were just quirky enough to keep my attention, but not over the top. I was sucked into the plot fairly quickly and I couldn't wait until things started coming together and making sense; which they did little by little. I'll give the writer/director Rian Johnson credit for a job well done.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Nora Zehetner, Matt O'Leary

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.