Brick

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Brick ??? 2006 (R)

Ever wonder what it would look like if Raymond Chandler wrote for the “Sweet Valley High” series? In his debut film, writer/director Johnson delivers one of the most impressive examples of hard-boiled noir in years, set, strangely enough, in a California high school. Gordon-Levitt brilliantly channels Humphrey Bogart as Brendan, a tough-as-nails teenaged shamus who's trying to locate his missing ex-girlfriend (de Ravin) in the seamy underbelly of drug-dealing jocks and cheerleader femme fatales. The mystery's a twisty one, peppered with Johnson's own brand of tough guy slang that will either delight or confound you. But you can't ignore the ambition of this “Miller's Crossing” meets “Breakfast Club” hybrid. 110m/C DVD . US Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Matt O'Leary, Nora Zehetner, Noah Segan, Meagan Good, Emilie de Ravin, Brian White, Richard Roundtree, Lucas Babin; D: Rian Johnson; W: Rian Johnson; C: Steve Yedlin; M: Nathan Johnson.

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