Brick (2005)

Director:

Rian Johnson

Writer (WGA):

Rian Johnson (written by)

Release Date:

7 April 2006 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

A detective story.

Plot:

A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Drug Dealer | Tunnel | Drugs | Detective

Awards:

10 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Brendan
Nora Zehetner	...	Laura
Lukas Haas	...	The Pin
Noah Fleiss	...	Tugger
Matt O'Leary	...	The Brain
Emilie de Ravin	...	Emily (as Emilie De Ravin)
Noah Segan	...	Dode
Richard Roundtree	...	Assistant V.P. Trueman
Meagan Good	...	Kara
Brian White	...	Brad Bramish
Jonathan Cauff	...	Biff
Reedy Gibbs	...	Pin's Mom
Lucas Babin	...	Big Stoner
Tracy Wilcoxen	...	Straggler
Ari Welkom	...	Tangles (as Ari Velkom)
Cody Lightning	...	The Lug
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
McJoel Hamilton	...	The Pin's Driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Rian Johnson

Writing credits (WGA)
Rian Johnson		(written by)

Produced by
Ram Bergman	....	producer
Marcie Campbell	....	executive producer
Norman Dreyfuss	....	executive producer
Susan Dynner	....	co-producer
Raymond Izaac	....	associate producer
Craig Johnson	....	executive producer
Lisa Johnson	....	executive producer
Dana Lustig	....	co-producer
Mark G. Mathis	....	producer
Angela Roessel	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Nathan Johnson

Cinematography by
Steve Yedlin		(director of photography)

Casting by
Shannon Makhanian

Production Design by
Jodie Lynn Tillen		(as Jodie Tillen)

Set Decoration by
Shara Kasprack

Costume Design by
Michele Posch

Makeup Department
Erin Lippard	....	additional hair stylist
Erin Lippard	....	additional makeup artist
Lisa Machii	....	additional hair stylist
Lisa Machii	....	additional makeup artist
Kerri Nicole	....	additional hair stylist
Kerri Nicole	....	additional makeup artist
Jill Ventimiglia	....	hair stylist
Jill Ventimiglia	....	makeup artist
Dahlia Warner	....	additional hair stylist
Dahlia Warner	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Philip Harrelson	....	post-production supervisor
Ilya Lyudmirsky	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Anthony Carregal	....	second assistant director
Kristin Mente	....	first assistant director
Chris Hall	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
McJoel Hamilton	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Treven Bedwell	....	property master (as Trevan Bedwell)
Ron Lance	....	carpenter
Moe Moe Lwin	....	assistant property master
Jason O'Rourke	....	assistant decorator
Moe Moe Lwin	....	on-set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Randy Babajtis	....	sound design editor
Randy Babajtis	....	sound effects editor
Jeremy Balko	....	foley mixer
Dhyana Carlton-Tims	....	assistant dialogue editor
Alan Freedman	....	adr editor (as Alan 'Danger' Freedman)
Alan Freedman	....	adr mixer (as Alan 'Mo Danger' Freedman)
Jerry Gilbert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bryant Grizzell	....	additional boom operator
Dennis Grzesik	....	sound mixer
Scott Hinkley	....	post sound recordist
Spencer Johnson	....	foley editor
Jeana Lasser	....	assistant sound editor
Randy Lawson	....	additional sound mixer
Jonathan Miller	....	sound designer
Jonathan Miller	....	supervising sound editor
Andrew Morgado	....	assistant sound editor
Andrew Patterson	....	dialogue editor
Shelley Roden	....	foley artist
Gerard Vernice	....	boom operator (as Gerrard Bernice)
James Wright	....	sound engineer: Dolby (as Jim Wright)

Special Effects by
David Wanye	....	special effects coordinator
Torrence Hall	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Todd Hall	....	optical supervisor (as Todd R. Hall)
James R. Kerrigan	....	optical cameraman

Stunts
McJoel Hamilton	....	stunt driver
Nils Allen Stewart	....	stunt coordinator (as Nils Stewart)
Chris Hall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Maegan Stewart	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Silvia Beltramini	....	still photographer
Greg Gayne	....	still photographer (as Greg Gaynes)
David Allen Grove	....	Steadicam operator (as David Grove)
Forest James	....	still photographer
Scott E. Kaufman	....	electrician (as Scott Kaufman)
Ama MacDonald	....	additional gaffer (as Ama Macdonald)
Jerome Roi Maufas	....	best boy electric (as Roi Maufus)
Ryan McCoy	....	electrician (as Ryan Mccoy)
Ryan McCoy	....	second assistant camera (as Ryan Mccoy)
Tobin Oldach	....	additional camera assistant
Tobin Oldach	....	electrician
Seth Orozco	....	additional camera assistant
Rick Peebles	....	best boy grip
Jaron Presant	....	director of photography: second unit
Jaron Presant	....	gaffer
Ann Rabin	....	additional camera assistant
Colleen Rea	....	additional camera assistant
Gregory Romero	....	additional key grip (as Greg Romero)
Michael Skor	....	additional camera assistant (as Mike Skor)
Todd Antonio Somodevilla	....	director of photography: second unit
James Troost	....	electrician
Michael Weeks	....	key grip (as Mike Weeks)
Wade Whitley	....	first assistant camera
Rick Peebles	....	dolly grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michelle Giannoulis	....	key costumer (as Michelle Anne Giannoulis)
Jennifer Greeke	....	costume consultant (as Jen Greeke)
Sam Velde	....	assistant wardrobe

Editorial Department
Bob Fredrickson	....	color timer
Henry Lowenfels	....	post-production assistant
Sue Gates	....	telecine colorist (uncredited)
Philip Harrelson	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Tod Lautenberg	....	second editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Dan Baker	....	musician
Paul Burton	....	score engineer
Steve Cowley	....	musician: the Cinematic Underground
Andy Davey	....	musician
Drew DeAscentis	....	music editor (as Drew Deascentis)
Melody Dornfield	....	musician
Lee Farber	....	musician
Aaron Johnson	....	music mixer
Nathan Johnson	....	music producer
Nathan Johnson	....	musician
Nathan Johnson	....	score engineer
Seth Johnson	....	musician
Zachary Johnson	....	musician
China Kent	....	musician: the Cinematic Underground
Seth Kent	....	musician: the Cinematic Underground
Seth Kent	....	score engineer
Chris Mears	....	musician: the Cinematic Underground
Chris Pedley	....	musician: the Cinematic Underground
Joe Rudge	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Paul Feddersen	....	transportation coordinator
Hugo Ocana	....	transportation captain
Lew Strong	....	driver

Other crew
Sean Adderly	....	set production assistant
Shawn Attias	....	set production assistant
William Coleman	....	craft service
Liz Covert	....	script supervisor (as Elizabeth Covert)
Alyssa Feener	....	production assistant
Glenn D. Feig	....	legal services
Joel Hamilton	....	key set production assistant
Erin Heidenreich	....	sales agent
Maria Kerrigan	....	title coordinator
Richard Knowlton	....	piano mover
Daniel Laiblin	....	production coordinator
Denise Marciel	....	caterer
Kevin Earl Maynard	....	set production assistant (as Kevin Maynard)
Frank McGonagle	....	caterer (as Franko Mcconagle)
Larry Michalski	....	sales
Dana O'Keefe	....	sales agent
Layton Rawlins	....	piano mover
Ray Rawlins	....	piano mover
Eric J. Spiegelman	....	legal services
Perry Suppa	....	schedule
Tracy Wilcoxen	....	set production assistant
Ken Diver	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Benjamin R. Reder	....	production legal counsel (uncredited)
Mike Tristano	....	armorer (uncredited)

Thanks
Eddie Barragan	....	we are especially grateful to
Tal Bergman	....	we are especially grateful to
Bryan Bishop	....	we are especially grateful to
Ben Boyer	....	acknowledgment: Ben And Dave
Rose Braunstein	....	we are especially grateful to
Crosby Burns	....	we are especially grateful to
Cathy Burton	....	we are especially grateful to
Paul Burton	....	we are especially grateful to (as Paul)
Adrian Caufield	....	we are especially grateful to
Andy Chamberlain	....	we are especially grateful to (as Andy)
Anna Chamberlain	....	we are especially grateful to
Shawna Chance	....	we are especially grateful to
Dan Chariton	....	we are especially grateful to (as Dan)
Stacy Chariton	....	we are especially grateful to
Evan Christman	....	we are especially grateful to
Ron Collins	....	we are especially grateful to
Gregory Cundiff	....	we are especially grateful to (as Greg Cundiff)
Michelle Delanty	....	we are especially grateful to
Rick J. Delanty	....	we are especially grateful to
Santiago Dominguez	....	we are especially grateful to
Brian Dreyfuss	....	we are especially grateful to
Lee Farber	....	we are especially grateful to
Sheryl Gould	....	we are especially grateful to
Mark Gutmann	....	we are especially grateful to
Charles Hinman	....	we are especially grateful to (as Dr. Charles Hinman)
Jake Holland	....	we are especially grateful to
Tara Holland	....	we are especially grateful to (as Tara)
Erin Holzer	....	we are especially grateful to
Elody James	....	we are especially grateful to
Forest James	....	we are especially grateful to (as Forest)
Kribber Jensen	....	we are especially grateful to
Adam Johnson	....	we are especially grateful to
Chris Johnson	....	we are especially grateful to
Court Johnson	....	this film was made possible by the love and support of (as Court)
Cytnhia Johnson	....	this film was made possible by the love and support of
Dorseay Johnson	....	this film was made possible by the love and support of
Howard Johnson	....	this film was made possible by the love and support of (as Howard)
Jon Paul Johnson	....	we are especially grateful to
Lauren Johnson	....	we are especially grateful to
Zachary Johnson	....	we are especially grateful to (as Zach Johnson)
George Knights	....	we are especially grateful to
Jennifer Kuwabara	....	we are especially grateful to
Tyson League	....	we are especially grateful to
Jaye Barnes Luckett	....	we are especially grateful to (as Jaye Barnes-Luckett)
Shawn Marchetti	....	special thanks
Catherine Mathis	....	we are especially grateful to
Janet McClintock	....	this film was made possible by the love and support of (as Janet Mcclintock)
Jon McClintock	....	this film was made possible by the love and support of (as Jon)
Lucky McKee	....	we are especially grateful to (as Lucky Mckee)
Sean McKesson	....	we are especially grateful to (as Sean Mckesson)
Shelli Merrill	....	we are especially grateful to
Dana Moscoveci	....	we are especially grateful to
Jaime Nichols	....	we are especially grateful to
Zach Passero	....	we are especially grateful to
Jack Pastorok	....	we are especially grateful to
Jacob Porteous	....	we are especially grateful to
Steve Rim	....	we are especially grateful to
Jake Schiffelbein	....	we are especially grateful to
Zack Schiffelbein	....	we are especially grateful to (as Zack)
Lauren Jean Schwartz	....	we are especially grateful to (as Lauren Schwartz)
Larry Seymour	....	we are especially grateful to
Chris Sivertson	....	we are especially grateful to
Jessica Thompson	....	we are especially grateful to
Natalie Torney	....	we are especially grateful to
Sean Watson	....	we are especially grateful to
Shane Weld	....	we are especially grateful to

Production Companies

• Bergman Lustig Productions

Distributors

• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Mars Distribution (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Wise Policy (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Dex Entertainment (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Focus Features (2006) (USA) (all media)
• Imagem Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Motion Picture Distribution (2006) (Canada) (DVD) (licensed from Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.)
• Odeon (2006) (Greece) (all media)
• RCV Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Senator Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Versus Entertainment (2006) (Spain) (all media)
• West Video (2006) (Russia) (all media)

Special Effects

• Pixel Magic (visual effects by)

Other Companies

• Anna Kula  we are especially grateful to
• Avon Studio Transport  production vehicles provided by (as Avon Rents)
• Bumble & Bumble  we are especially grateful to
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dolly/dolly track (as Chapman/Leonard)
• Christina Lehr  we are especially grateful to
• Cinetic Media  distribution advisory services
• City of San Clemente  permits
• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  film dailies
• Coufal Isley Sound  walkie talkies provided by (as Coufal Isley)
• Destroy Clothing  we are especially grateful to
• Fatchance Accessories  we are especially grateful to
• FotoKem Laboratory  lab: answer print (as FotoKem)
• Hand Prop Room, The  props provided by (as Hand Prop Room)
• Independent Studio Services  props provided by
• Kodak  produced and released on (as Kodak Motion Picture Film)
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Lenny Marvin Enterprises  props (as Lennie Marvin Enterprises)
• MAC Cosmetics  we are especially grateful to (as M.A.C. Cosmetics)
• Magic Film and Video Works  negative cutting (as Magic Film & Video Works)
• Matchframe Video  dailies telecine
• Maya Moon  we are especially grateful to
• NT Audio Visual  optical sound (as NT Audio)
• PES Payroll  payroll services provided by (as PES)
• PUFHL Insurance  insurance provided by
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Reder & Feig  legal services provided by
• Reel Good  raw stock
• Simple Shoes  we are especially grateful to
• Sonic Magic  sound post-production and mixing (as Sonic Magic Studios)
• South Coast Furniture & Mattress  props provided by
• Special Effects Unlimited  props provided by
• Students and Faculty of San Clemente High School  we are especially grateful to
• Studio Photo Imaging  still photograph processing
• Sunset Expendables  production supplies
• TM Motion Picture Rentals  grip/lightning provided by (as TM Motion Picture Equip Rental)
• Two Birds Film  we are especially grateful to (as Two Birds)
• Universal Costume Department  we are especially grateful to (as Universal Costume)
• World According To Jess  we are especially grateful to
• f-Stop  opticals and titles (as F-Stop, Inc.)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and drug content

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Netherlands:12 | USA:R (certificate #41781) | Germany:12 | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

San Clemente, California, USA

Company:

Bergman Lustig Productions

Trivia:

In his meeting with Trueman, Brendan refers to a teacher "Kasprzyk" as being "tough but fair". Mrs. Kasprzyk was an actual teacher of English (including Advanced Placement English) who was largely known as being tough but fair at San Clemente High School, the school where the movie was shot.

Goofs:

Continuity: Brendan's hair is curly in all scenes but one near the start, where it's straight.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Brendan answers the pay phone]
Emily:Brendan.
Brendan Frye:Emily.
Emily:Yeah-h... How's things?
Brendan Frye:Status quo.

Movie Connections:

References "V.I.P." (1998)

Soundtrack:

I'm In The Middle Of A Riddle

Film Noir meets 90s High School flick

I saw this film at a sneak preview the other night not knowing what to expect. To say the least I was pleasantly surprised. Film Noir being one of my favorite film genre's, "Brick" follows the same story structure, odd-ball characters, right down to the very smart and quick paced dialogue of a 30s/40s hard boiled detective thriller. The twist that lifts it above parody and even a mere homage is the presentation of these elements with high school kids in Southern California. The direction by Rian Johnson is very expert and confident in telling the story, giving the audience smooth and quick editing along with skewed and distorted camera angles. He manages to maintain suspense throughout the film, only in a couple of parts letting it drag (the scenes with the Drama Queen are some of the weakest). The actors are great, the most memorable being the "villains" Pen and Tugger. Rather than just being atypical baddies, their portrayals give them depth, sympathy, and at the same time a degree of likability. Kudos also goes to the actor who played Brain, the partner of Frye, who is nearly flawless in his somewhat small role. John Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree, shows up as the Vice Principal, but it is obvious they only had the budget to hire him for one day. I have to say this isn't a classic film by any means; I merely decided to give it such a high rating because it attempts something different and succeeds fairly successfully. I've been tired of the mundane films that get released every year, and for once this is something that is completely different; the use of archetypal characters in the setting and delivery not expected. It's a low budget film, but it is obvious to me that that this filmmaker will be heard from again. Keep an eye out.