The Big Picture It’s safe to say that Rian Johnson is one of the most accomplished writer/directors working today, and someone who has always been able to turn familiar genres on their head. Johnson managed to use time travel as a great dramatic device in his science fiction thriller Looper, gave an aging sage the boost of originality that it needed in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and helmed one of the best episodes of dramatic television ever with Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias.
Brick A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. Although it's unusual to see adolescent characters speaking with such intelligence and foresight, Brick succeeds because it is not a parody of noir films. Johnson plays everything straight, as Emily is in real danger, and Brendan weathers serious injuries throughout his mission to get her. In fact, Brick serves as a successful coming-of-age drama because it exposes the latent lives of its adolescent characters.
'Brick' Pays Homage to Noir Classics Brick brilliantly takes elements of the noir genre and reformats them for a high school setting. While a typical noir film would generally incorporate different factions and gangs that the detective is forced to investigate during his mission, Brick includes scenes of Brendan questioning different clubs and social groups at his school.