Back in 2005, Rian Johnson directed what is, in my view, one of the greatest neo-noir films of the 21st century. Twenty years later, Philip Koch also directed a film called Brick, but this one is neither a neo-noir nor a great work of art. Its plot is not about dramatic teens in a fictional drug trade. Instead, it zooms in on a building in Germany that suddenly becomes encased in a strange, brick-like material, trapping all of its inhabitants inside, and it's sort of a derivative M. Night Shyamalan tale.
Overall, it has a modest entertainment potential, which was geared to work with its modest run time (just under 100 minutes). The cast maneuvers within the film's premise the best they can, but they do not end up connecting to each other, nor do they connect to the audience. The central mystery also loses its appeal with each passing minute and tedious lifeboat-like situation.
Through this, the cast do what they can in a prolonged episode that ranks among the weaker Black Mirror stories and is just close to classic Outer Limits ones. The film struggles most at its climax and ending, failing at the same time to be smart and emotionally resonant. At the end, Brick tries hard to lay brick over its shortfalls and thus finishes as a big pile of bricks. It, like the film, is far from useless, but also just as far from appealing.
