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Brick

Play trailer Poster for Brick R Released Jan 21, 2005 1h 49m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 141 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
After receiving a frantic phone call from his ex-girlfriend, teenage loner Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) learns that her dead body has been found. Vowing to solve her murder himself, he must infiltrate high-school cliques that he previously avoided. His search for the truth places him before some of the school's roughest characters, leading to a confrontation with a drug dealer known as the Pin (Lukas Haas).
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Brick

Brick

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Critics Consensus

This entertaining homage to noirs past has been slickly and compellingly updated to a contemporary high school setting.

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Critics Reviews

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Victoria Segal New Statesman Brick is quotable, clever and cryptic... Sep 26, 2017 Full Review Sight & Sound The teens in Rian Johnson's striking debut feature Brick express themselves in jargon that sounds as if lifted straight from the pages of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Sep 28, 2006 Full Review Ben Walters Time Out The self-consciously mannered rat-a-tat-tat dialogue also mines a neat overlap between teen slang and noir patois, both of which can be indecipherable to non-initiates. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Grant Hermanns Screen Rant Rian Johnson's Brick remains one of the most remarkable directorial debuts with his combination of a sharp, energetic script and stylish direction. Rated: 9/10 Jul 10, 2025 Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn I'm not particularly into this genre and then putting it in a high school setting was a bit weird. But it was entertaining to watch because it's so nutty. It's a grounded, nutty film. Rated: 2/5 May 28, 2023 Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn This movie floored me when I first saw it and it still holds up despite some inconsistent performances and pacing. "Brick" made me a lifelong fan of Rian Johnson. Rated: 4/5 May 28, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Blu B All Time Classic. You can see the love for the Noir's of old all over this. Every single trope/cliche of the genre is on full display here and done with a completely fresh take. It gives me a lot of respect for the high school subgenre in terms of it doesn't have to just be coming of age stories. But it can be fertile ground for pretty much every type of movie genre. The cinematography is low budget but it ends up being moody and very atmospheric. Lots of night, early morning shots, and the soundtrack all just work so well together. It somehow manages to capture that smokey rooms black and white vibe while being set in a 2000's west coast high school and not feeling out of place at all. That's insane and one heck of an accomplishment. The acting of high school students acting like Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum and Lauren Bacall doesn't feel odd at all. And the dialouge is so good too. Yeah you really have to pay attention and is very complex compared to any other teen comedy but the reward is so immersive and ice cold. First rate all around. Everyone should give this a try once. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/19/25 Full Review Tom C. Maybe good maybe bad Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/12/25 Full Review John S What i found was that people who can't sort through the language barrier, or how to navigate the subtitles lost the plot quickly. The film itself was sci-fi horror genre. I would give it a 7 out of ten for ingenuity. The plot was formulaic, but it was worth a watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/11/25 Full Review Adam M Literally every bad user review is straight up wrong. I legit rarely ever say that about taste since taste is subjective but in this case it’s absolutely true. Bitter star wars “fans” and entitled gen zers abound in those comments and they are, as usual, absolutely incorrect. The film is clever, smart, super well written and a fantastic effort for someone’s very first feature film. A classic indie of the best indie film making era complete with one of the better actors of that generation. Masterclass in how to take an otherwise dull setting and find the art and life in it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/01/25 Full Review THE NASHVILLE I Definitely feels like watching a brick. Johnson tries so hard to make this feel noir, but the lack of energy and character just kills this movie. It drags…like a brick. The actors are like mannequins, and the story’s just too unfocused and mundane. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/13/25 Full Review Trump S One of the greatest nior detective movies you'll ever see. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/20/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Brick

Brick: Official Clip - Stoner Sucker Punch Brick: Official Clip - Stoner Sucker Punch 2:15 Brick: Official Clip - The Sexy Actress Brick: Official Clip - The Sexy Actress 1:37 Brick: Official Clip - The Truce Turns Violent Brick: Official Clip - The Truce Turns Violent 3:41 Brick: Official Clip - Meeting the Pin Brick: Official Clip - Meeting the Pin 3:01 Brick: Official Clip - Teenage Mob Boss Brick: Official Clip - Teenage Mob Boss 3:43 Brick: Official Clip - Nerd vs. Football Player Brick: Official Clip - Nerd vs. Football Player 2:32 Brick: Official Clip - I Want to See the Pin Brick: Official Clip - I Want to See the Pin 2:41 Brick: Official Clip - Shooting the Stoner Brick: Official Clip - Shooting the Stoner 2:51 Brick: Official Clip - Laura Played Everybody Brick: Official Clip - Laura Played Everybody 3:32 Brick: Official Clip - The Knife Chase Brick: Official Clip - The Knife Chase 1:15 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis After receiving a frantic phone call from his ex-girlfriend, teenage loner Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) learns that her dead body has been found. Vowing to solve her murder himself, he must infiltrate high-school cliques that he previously avoided. His search for the truth places him before some of the school's roughest characters, leading to a confrontation with a drug dealer known as the Pin (Lukas Haas).
Director
Rian Johnson
Producer
Ram Bergman, Mark G. Mathis
Screenwriter
Rian Johnson
Production Co
Bergman Lustig Productions
Rating
R (Violent Content|Drug Content)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 21, 2005, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Mar 31, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.1M
Runtime
1h 49m
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