|
"Where Did I Put
That Pin Anyway?" |
 |
Directed by Rian Johnson
- Written by Rian
Johnson
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Emilie de Ravin, Lukas
Haas, Meagan Good
Distributed by Focus -
2006 - 110mins - Rated R |
|
Richard Propes'
Review
|
  |
B+ |
|
| |
|
A detective story. |
| |
First-time
screenwriter and director Rian Johnson takes film-noir and sets it in
a Southern California high school in "Brick," one of my most highly
anticipated film releases for 2006.
"Brick" stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the former "Third Rock From the
Sun" TV star whose recent indie work has ranged from utterly brilliant
("Mysterious Skin") to hysterically overwrought ("Havoc"). Gordon-Levitt
plays Brendan, who receives a mysterious phone call from a former
girlfriend (Emilie de Ravin) and sets out to help her. After finding
her body at the mouth of a sewage tunnel, Brendan becomes a sort of
30's gumshoe detective determined to infiltrate a high school crime
ring and solve the mystery of her murder.
Were "Brick" simply a straightforward murder mystery, it would likely
be an intriguing film already. However, Rian Johnson's directorial
vision for the film is so precise, so intentional that the film
creates a culture unto itself.
Winner of a Special Jury Prize at Sundance for Originality of Vision,
"Brick" is a film that very well may irritate you more than it
entertains you. It will challenge you to contemplate, listen, discern
and decipher even as you struggle to buy into the characters, the
storyline, the incredibly unique dialogue and a directing style that
is so fluid it borders on looking like a lava lamp at times.
In what essentially amounts to one scene, Emilie de Ravin sets a
perfect tone for the actions about to occur. The relational dance
between her and Gordon-Levitt exudes both the innocence of youth when
they were together and the painful realization that their lives are
both too screwed up to ever reconnect again on any serious level.
The world Johnson creates is frightening in that it is remarkably
normal, funny and, at times, downright boring. It is often said that
many parents are completely clueless about the lives of their
children. Apparently, Johnson subscribes to this belief system.
Gordon-Levitt hits it out of the ballpark as Brendan, a streetwise
punk who seems to like nobody with the possible exception of "The
Brain" (Matt O'Leary, in a perfect complementary performance to
Gordon-Levitt).
In order to make "Brick" work, Johnson clearly needed to get the
entire cast to buy into his incredibly unique vision. I could envision
it being like watching a Shakespeare script being produced for the
first time...the cast had to be looking at Johnson going "What the
heck is this?"
This is brilliance.
Johnson seems finely tuned into the often quirky nature of high school
culture, and his dialogue is overwrought, dramatic and, well,
impossible to ignore. The entire cast uses words, language and
sentences that can easily confuse...not necessarily what your average
film-goer wants for a casual day at the cinema. Admittedly, it's
challenging to invest in characters when you're not even sure what
they're saying. Words such as "Pin," "Brick," "Yeg" and others allow
the teens to create a culture that only they truly understand.
Really, what teen doesn't want to do that?
"Johnson" takes all of your high school stereotypes and creates a
unique, fascinating culture around these stereotypes.
There's the drama queen, Kara (Meagan Good), and the jock, Brad (Brian
White). Then, there's Dode (Noah Segan) and The Pin's right hand,
Tugger (Noah Fleiss). Finally, there's "The Pin" himself (Lukas Haas).
For good measure, there's a vice-principal (Richard Roundtree) who
practically screams out "I'm the sheriff!"
The way these lives intertwine is both aggravating and beautiful to
behold. Johnson taunts, teases, jabs and undercuts his way through the
high school underbelly with a style both hypnotic and horrific.
Haas offers his best performance in years as "The Pin," a 26-year-old
drug dealer whose entire empire is in the basement of his cookie
baking, home-making mother. Surrounded by high school underlings, "The
Pin" wields power without mercy, especially when it comes to his
missing drugs (aka "The Brick"). Remember Haas as the little boy from
"Witness?" This film will make you forever forget him!
Both Fleiss and Segan also shine in supporting roles, though Zehetner
is surprisingly weak as a chanteuse, brainy seductress whose attempts
to influence Brendan are unconvincing and shallow. A shallow
performance, in a film that emphasizes style more than substance, is
particularly disturbing.
"Brick" is intensely violent, however, the violence isn't particularly
graphic or disturbing. Brendan is subjected to numerous beatings
throughout the course of the film, however, Johnson has such a firm
grip on the film's direction that he seems to throw in an ever so
slightly comical moment at just the right time to ease the tension.
On a stunningly low budget of a mere $500,000, Rian Johnson has
created a remarkably stylish, powerfully acted and captivating film
that is unlike any other film you will see this year. "Brick" may not
be a film you enjoy, but it is a film you will not forget. |
| |
|
© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
I see what
they were going for here... a gumshoe noir set
in a slacker modern high school society.
The problem is that the film stretches so hard
to be noir-cool rather than noir-good.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt fails on virtually every
level, seeming entirely flat and uninterested.
His performance is the dullest part of an
awkward film. The rest of the cast have
sporadic moments worth mentioning, but the whole
is not supported by the parts. I tuned out
about half way through this movie... often
checking my watch to see how much longer I had
to wait before I could get back to watching a
pot boil.
Jacob Hall's
Comment
n/a
|
