Brick

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.

Like the best noirs, Brick is a triumph of attitude, and there's no arguing that its brand of deadpan cool is precisely unique.

It's great to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious Skin) in the juicy role of a high-school gumshoe on the trail of his estranged girlfriend's killers.

Alas, Brick, from writer-director Rian Johnson, isn't as clever as its conceit.

Brick is smart -- perhaps too smart for its own good at times. But in the end, its affectations add up to entertainment.

Although Brick can be a bit thick, you have to admire the effort.

...it's impossible not to wish that the first-time filmmaker hadn't leaned quite so heavily on the antiquated shenanigans.

Smart, stylized teen whodunit with violence and drugs.

Noir fits "Brick" like a glove, stylishly injecting assured tough talk, vice-grip tension, black humor, striking sound design and gunshots sounding like locker doors slammed on options. A great detective story and, for some, a high-school flashback.

The movie's rigorous dark-lined elegance leaves a punchy aftertaste

That rarest of things: a movie called 'unique' that actually is.

Mostly lives up to the hype.