268 Greatest Films: #39 Brick

Let's break out something in the top 50.

Brick takes the traditional "noir" movie genre and turns it on its ear by setting it in high school. It's more hard-boiled than anything that's come out since, uhhhh, let's say Chinatown.

It tells the tale of a loner named Brendan as he slowly unravels the mystery of his ex-girlfriends murder. It involves drugs, treachery, seduction and punching. Lots of punching.

The dialogue is unique -- not like anything you've heard in any movie that's come out in a long time. It's the kind of film that greatly rewards repeated viewings. Possibly while high.

Let's take a look at a clip, here's Brendan's first meeting with Dode.


Tagline: A detective story.

Plot Spoilers: Hrm, where too start. Well, Emily was pregnant ... Tug kills Dode ... that's all you're getting.

Notable Quotes:
Laura Dannon: [On the phone with Brendan] Who is this?
Brendan Frye: I won't waste your time: you don't know me.
Laura: I know everyone, and I have all the time in the world.
Brendan Frye: Ah, the folly of youth.

Laura: Do you trust me now?
Brendan: Less than when I didn't trust you before.

Brendan: [to the vice principal, played by Richard Roundtree of all people] No more of these informal chats! If you have a disciplinary issue with me, write me up or suspend me -- and I'll see you at the Parent-Teacher conference.

The Brain: Ask any dope rat where their junk sprang and they'll say they scraped it from that who scored it from this who bought it off so and after four or five connections the list always ends with the Pin. But I bet you got every rat in town together and said 'show your hands' if any of them've actually seen the Pin, you'd get a crowd of full pockets.

Brendan: I've got knives in my eyes, I'm going home sick.

The Pin: You read Tolkien?
Brendan: What?
The Pin: You know, the Hobbit books?
Brendan: Yeah.
The Pin: His descriptions of things are really good. He makes you wanna be there.

Brendan Frye: Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you.

Best Character: There are a lot of good choices here. Brendan is pretty obvious. Kara (played by Meagan Good) is a total piece of ass. The Pin is pretty cool, what with his love of Tolkien and van with a lamp in the back. But he lives with his mom, so I'm going to give this to Tug. The dude is simply a punching machine. He's the Pin's muscle, but then Brendan plays him like a fiddle and gets him into his corner, leading to the eventual showdown...

Another reason to see it: The fight between Brendan and Brad Bramish is one of my favorite scenes of all time. Brad Bramish is going to do what needs to get done indeed.