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Brick

Play trailer Poster for Brick R 2005 1h 49m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
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 Sep 26, 2017
Brick is quotable, clever and cryptic... Go to Full Review Sight & Sound Sep 28, 2006
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. Go to Full Review Ben Walters Time Out Jun 24, 2006
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. Go to Full Review Grant Hermanns Screen Rant Jul 10, 2025
9/10
Rian Johnson's Brick remains one of the most remarkable directorial debuts with his combination of a sharp, energetic script and stylish direction. Go to Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn May 28, 2023
2/5
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. Go to Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn May 28, 2023
4/5
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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gibran carrillo Jan 17, 2026 I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!! I first found out about this movie back in the second grade and it fully caught my attention in eight grade ever since. I o first saw in college and ever since it’s been a movie that I really love. The vibe, the story, setting, the production value, the acting, the characters, the camera work AMAZING MOVIE!!! I’m glad I got to watch it in the big screen, it was a beautiful experience. I’m glad I got to watch it in theaters. 🎥🎥🎥 See more Juli S Jan 16, 2026 The "transplant" concept is executed superbly. Director Rian Johnson sets a 'cinema noir' piece in a high school, transposes noir archetypes (hard-boiled detective, femme fatale, corrupt official, gangster, naive girl who 'gets in over her head') to high-school standards (loner, prom queen, power-hungry principal, bully, social climber) with creativity. My only reservations are that a) the wonderfully snappy dialogue is sometimes garbled (Mr Johnson, please re-record Gordon-Levitt in studio!), and 2) drama was lessened by using a color-format rather than black-and-white. See more Robert P @Superbad Sep 25, 2026 Brick = a *4.5* star Movie! See more S. O @Col._Angus Jun 11, 2026 The dialogue in this movie is so bad that it makes it hard to follow the rest of the story/plot. It's a low-budget film, and it shows. Not good, on so many levels. Trying to stay with this is like being forced to not leave a neighborhood larpers convention. The longer you stay, the more of a loser you are. See more Mark C. @mrpiggy1992 May 21, 2026 Joseph Gordon Lewitt at his best ❤ See more HipHo H @HipHo May 2, 2026 One of the best noirs I've ever seen; for a debut it's astounding. It's original and innovative - amazing film See more Read all reviews
Brick

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Cast & Crew

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Rian Johnson

Director

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Brendan Frye

Lukas Haas

The Pin

Nora Zehetner

Laura Dannon

Noah Fleiss

Tugger

Matt O'Leary

The Brain

Movie Clips

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Brick

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Brick

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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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