Brick (film) is a mystery film.
Brick is a 2005 American neo-noir mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson in his directorial debut , starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt .. Rian Johnson. Rian Johnson. Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Joseph Gordon-Levitt. neo-noir. neo-noir. mystery. Mystery film. Brick was distributed by Focus Features , and opened in New York and Los Angeles on April 7 , 2006 .. Focus Features. Focus Features. The film 's narrative centers on a hardboiled detective story set in a Californian suburb .. hardboiled. hardboiled. detective story. detective fiction. suburb. suburb. Most of the main characters are high school students .. The film draws heavily in plot , characterization , and dialogue from hardboiled classics , especially those by Dashiell Hammett .. hardboiled. hardboiled. Dashiell Hammett. Dashiell Hammett. The title refers to a block of heroin , compressed roughly to the size and shape of a brick .. heroin. heroin. The film won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival , and received positive reviews from critics .. Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Film Festival. It has come to be regarded as a cult classic .. cult classic. cult classic