Review by Gary Tooze

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Description: A detective story set around a California high school, BRICK dares to combine the teen and film noir genres. In mixing these two disparate worlds, Director Rian Johnson creates many comically jarring and ironic moments. When loner Brendan Frye (a barely recognizable Joseph Gordon-Levitt of THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN) gets a desperate-sounding call from his ex-love Emily (Emilie de Ravin), he feels compelled to help her, plunging himself into the seedy world of teenage crime that pulled her away from him in the first place. Throughout this journey, Brendan plays a hard-boiled type reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart's iconic Sam Spade character. Johnson's script invests heavily in the fiction of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and is filled with other archetypical characters like the femme fatale (Nora Zehetner), the eccentric crime lord (a brilliant Lukas Haas), and the dame in distress. As teens trade in their cell phones for things as old-fashioned as pay phones and 1940s gangster vocabulary, occasional references to detention and first period provide a humorous contrast with the otherwise unbelievably complex, precocious, and largely parentless world that these teens inhabit. With its heavy reliance on references to old noir classics like THE MALTESE FALCON and THE BIG SLEEP, the film may risk alienating viewers not familiar with these older films. Seeing teenagers speaking in coded detective-movie-style lingo is entertaining, but mixed with the often overlapping, fast-paced but muttered dialogue, it also proves to be distracting at points. People eager to see a predictable teen drama may be confused by BRICK, as its goal is to turn the genre on its head, earning inevitable comparisons to films like 2001's surreal teen fantasy DONNIE DARKO. Because of the film's attention to detail and witty yet hard-to-follow dialogue, BRICK may be better appreciated on second viewing.

 

 

The Film:

Excerpt from Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun-Times located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.
 

This transfer is interlaced (1080i) and is running at 25 fps. I don't think this exports a dramatic weakness in the final visual presentation. The film itself shows Indie grit and a less-polished edge. It was probably never meant to look glossy and pristine. Suitable to the tone of Brick the transfer exports a darker image and colors never leap off the screen. This Blu-ray looks superior to DVD but probably isn't a prime example to showcase the format. Detail is never crisp but some outdoor scenes look the most impressive with hint a of depth. This is single-layered with a modest bitrate and I don't think it's a candidate for re-purchase if you already own the DVD. This is despite the fact that it's the best looking digital appearance of the film - although I suppose it may surface in Region "A" one day - done with more care in regards to to the video transfer. 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 1648 kbps has some kick but I also suspect a more dynamic mix could have brought some further presence to the track. I actually tested the LPCM 2.0 channel option and liked it enough to stick with it a while. The violence can pack a surprising wallop and while the track gives some oomph - I can't help confess the feeling that it is as lackluster as the image. There are no optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I had a soft spot for Brick the first time I saw it in 2006. It's very cool in it's own unique way. Unfortunately, this Blu-ray isn't up to the task with a weak single-layered, interlaced transfer, no subtitles and not a single extra. We like the film quite a lot, and this is the best I've seen it look but we still must give this a pass. 

Gary Tooze

August 17th, 2009