Brick is a miracle of a movie that shouldn't work but does. It takes the tropes of a 1940s noir—the femme fatale, the muscle, the world-weary detective—and places them in a California high school without a hint of irony.
It's not 'safe' in the sense of being lighthearted family fare, but for a teenager who is starting to get serious about movies, it's a foundational text. It’s smart, it’s cool, and it respects the intensity of the teen experience without being patronizing.





