If there's such a thing as a modern film noir, Brick is it. A sly whodunnit with interesting characters, smart dialogue and a cast that can carry them both off.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, all grown up from 3rd Rock from the Sun, plays Brendan Frye, a high school kid trying to find out who murdered his ex-girlfriend Emily, played by Lost's Emilie de Ravin (Claire). The clues lead Brendan into the heart of the school's secret drug underworld.

The dialogue is very street-smart, reminding me of a David Mamet film or an episode of NYPD Blue, and you may wish you had a slang dictionary with you at first. It comes at you fast and furious and doesn't let up. But therein lies the movie's charm. Pretty soon, you start to get it. By the end, you're proud of yourself for being able to figure it all out.

Brick's writer and director, Rian Johnson, admits he crafted the screenplay in the style of famous crime novel writer Dashiell Hammett, who created Sam Spade and other immortal detective movie characters.

Maybe the best thing this movie has going for it is that it's original. It's not a remake or a rehash; the plot is interesting, with plenty of twists and turns; and the performances are young and fresh.

Brick is one of these movies that was featured at a handful of film festivals, then only got a limited release in the U.S. before sneaking onto video store shelves. In other words, not many people have heard of it. I grabbed it from its lonely perch in the "new release" section, after other movies around it had been rented. I was not disappointed, and I don't think you will be either.

Ethan Morris: "Not always right, but never in doubt." Go ahead and write me.

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