Brick (film) written and directed by Rian Johnson
Bergman Lustig Productions, 2005

Plot Summary:
High school student Brendan gets a mysterious phone call at a pay phone from his ex-girlfriend Emily, saying she is in trouble and needs his help. Brendan knows she has made some unsavory friends, and tries to infiltrate the drug scene at his high school with the help of his friend, The Brain. Two days later, Brendan finds Emily dead in a tunnel and decides to hide her body and figure out why she was killed.

He makes his way up the social ladder to a powerful drug dealer, The Pin. He gets hired by The Pin and starts unraveling the secrets about Emily. He is pursued by the sophisticated, manipulative teen Laura, but he is on to her game. He finally realizes that she orchestrated Emily's death in order not to be blamed for stealing a brick of cocaine.

Critical Evaluation:
I didn't know what to make of this movie at first, then I realized it was styled as a noir mystery.
All the usual characters are here in the teen version: the hard-boiled detective, the scheming seductress, dead ingenue, and the crime boss and his muscle. I had to tell myself to suspend my disbelief that teenagers could act so sophisticated and plotting. Once I let that hang-up go, I started thoroughly enjoying the film.

The characters talk in rapid fire crime slang that sometimes makes entire scenes difficult to understand. I was glad I had this on DVD so I could rewind it, which I had to do a couple of times. But the language is what also makes the movie so fun. Not only are we trying to figure out what happened to Emily, but what they heck they are talking about. I should have seen the big reveal at the end coming, but I was so wrapped up in the action, I didn't have time to think ahead. But the end was satisfying as well. I would recommend this stylish teen mystery.

Reader’s Annotation:
Brendan Frye is about to get in over his head trying to find out what happened to his dead ex-girlfriend.

Information about the Author:
Rian Johnson is a graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television. I liked this quote I found from him on the Internet Movie Database: "Teen movies often have an unspoken underlying premise in which high school is seen as less serious than the adult world. But when your head is encased in that microcosm it's the most serious time of your life." I thought that was so true, and the way he brings that sentiment to life in Brick is mesmerizing.

Genre: mystery

Curriculum Ties: none

Filmtalking Ideas:
I would introduce Brendan Frye as a loner who has been hurt and just wants to make sense of his life. Then I would explain how he gets sucked into this underworld at his high school and how he manages to come out on top.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This is definitely a move for older teens. It is rated R, and I just don't think teens younger than 16 or 17 would have any idea what was going on.

Challenge Issues:
This movie would be challenged for its violence and the fact that it revolves around drug dealing, however there is no actual drug use in the film. I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form to fill out.

Why I chose this film:
I chose this film after it was mentioned in the Genre Presentations on teen movies. I know Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who plays Brendan Frye) is a terrific actor, so I thought I'd give it a shot.