The brand of cigarettes shown in the movie with the characteristic Blue Arrow is fictitious and was contrived simply to act as a "McGuffin", or plot device intended to move the story.
"A McGuffin is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself."
"A McGuffin is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself."
The book Brendan is seen reading when waiting for Emily to appear was supposed to be William Goldings Lord of the Flies, but due to a clearance issue using that cover, the actual book in the scene is a disguised copy of As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner.
You can access the original novella, as well as the script, via the following link...
http://www.rcjohnso.com/BrickScript.html
http://www.rcjohnso.com/BrickScript.html
It's called 'The Sun, Whose Rays Are All Ablaze', written by W. S. Gilbert, from the comic opera 'The Mikado'. Lyrics below...
The sun, whose rays Are all ablaze With ever-living glory, Does not deny His majesty He scorns to tell a story! He don't exclaim, "I blush for shame, So kindly be indulgent." But, fierce and bold, In fiery gold, He glories all effulgent! I mean to rule the earth, As he the sky We really know our worth, The sun and I! I mean to rule the earth, As he the sky We really know our worth, The sun and I! Observe his flame, That placid dame, The moon's Celestial Highness; There's not a trace Upon her face Of diffidence or shyness: She borrows light That, through the night, Mankind may all acclaim her! And, truth to tell, She lights up well, So I, for one, don't blame her! Ah, pray make no mistake, We are not shy; We're very wide awake, The moon and I! Ah, pray make no mistake, We are not shy; We're very wide awake, The moon and I!
Laura's version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4A_JY76-vM
A traditional recital of The Mikado http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0YdJsX25ME
The sun, whose rays Are all ablaze With ever-living glory, Does not deny His majesty He scorns to tell a story! He don't exclaim, "I blush for shame, So kindly be indulgent." But, fierce and bold, In fiery gold, He glories all effulgent! I mean to rule the earth, As he the sky We really know our worth, The sun and I! I mean to rule the earth, As he the sky We really know our worth, The sun and I! Observe his flame, That placid dame, The moon's Celestial Highness; There's not a trace Upon her face Of diffidence or shyness: She borrows light That, through the night, Mankind may all acclaim her! And, truth to tell, She lights up well, So I, for one, don't blame her! Ah, pray make no mistake, We are not shy; We're very wide awake, The moon and I! Ah, pray make no mistake, We are not shy; We're very wide awake, The moon and I!
Laura's version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4A_JY76-vM
A traditional recital of The Mikado http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0YdJsX25ME
Blow - To leave, depart; e.g., "Did she blow last night?"
Brick - A term used to describe a pound or kilogram of any drug; in the case of this film, it's heroin.
Bulls - Cops; e.g., "What first, tip the bulls?" Also, as a verb, to turn over to the cops; e.g., "I bulled the rat."
Burg (or Burgh) - Town, City; e.g., "He knows every two-bit toker in the burg."
C - Roman numeral for 100; e.g., "He had a C-Note."
Clam - To keep your mouth shut; e.g., "The muscle blows or I'll clam."
Copped - Obtained; e.g., "She copped the junk."
Dose - To take drugs; e.g., "He dosed off the bad junk and it laid him out."
Duck Soup - Easy pickings.
Gat - Gun.
Gum - To mess things up; e.g., "Bulls would only gum it."
Heel - To walk away from (and show your heels to); e.g., "I'm not heeling you to hook you."
Hook - Raise interest or get involved; e.g. "I'm not heeling to hook you."
Hop/Jake/Junk - Drugs. Back when noir films were more popular, (1940s-50s); hop is often used to reference marijuana and "hophead" is someone who smokes a lot of pot.
Knives in my eyes - a splitting headache; e.g., "I've got knives in my eyes. I'm going home sick."
Lap Dog - A lap dog is defined as a dog that is small enough to be held in the arms or lay comfortably on a person's lap. The term is also sometimes used to describe a person who is very easily controlled, such as a yes man. In the case of Brick both definitions are cleverly combined. If you recall the scene where we first meet Kara, she has a freshman boys head in her lap, who springs to her command of "run and get my purse."
On the Nail - immediately; e.g., "He wants cash on the nail."
Pick - A ride in a car (as in "pick-up"); e.g., "Did she get a pick?"
Raise - To get in touch with; e.g., "You couldn't raise em?" This is also used cleverly when Brain asks Brendan, "You couldn't raise her?" referring to Emily whom he could neither contact nor raise, as in raise from the dead.
Reef Worm - A stoner (reefer).
Scape - A patsy to take the blame (scapegoat/ fall guy).
Scraped - Begged off of, cadged from; e.g., "Ask any dope rat where their junk sprang and they'll say they scraped it off [name]...."
Shamus - A private detective.
Shine - To wield (as with a weapon); e.g., "He shines a blade."
Showing Your Ace - Obviously a card reference. An ace is the highest playing card, meaning 'high-quality. When Brendan strips Kara and says "I'm showing your ace," he is saying that Kara's most valuable asset is her beauty, which she uses to manipulate people with (e.g. lap dogs, Dode, etc). Not to mention, ace sounds similar to ass, something else of hers he shows off.
Specks - Eyes or Eyeglasses (spectacles); e.g., "Keep your specks peeled."
Sprang - Originated; e.g., "His gat sprang from Tugger's gang."
Squawk - To give up or snitch on. Or more apt to this, a stool pigeon.
Take A Powder - To slip away; e.g., "Why'd you take a powder the other night?"
Yegg - A criminal.
Brick - A term used to describe a pound or kilogram of any drug; in the case of this film, it's heroin.
Bulls - Cops; e.g., "What first, tip the bulls?" Also, as a verb, to turn over to the cops; e.g., "I bulled the rat."
Burg (or Burgh) - Town, City; e.g., "He knows every two-bit toker in the burg."
C - Roman numeral for 100; e.g., "He had a C-Note."
Clam - To keep your mouth shut; e.g., "The muscle blows or I'll clam."
Copped - Obtained; e.g., "She copped the junk."
Dose - To take drugs; e.g., "He dosed off the bad junk and it laid him out."
Duck Soup - Easy pickings.
Gat - Gun.
Gum - To mess things up; e.g., "Bulls would only gum it."
Heel - To walk away from (and show your heels to); e.g., "I'm not heeling you to hook you."
Hook - Raise interest or get involved; e.g. "I'm not heeling to hook you."
Hop/Jake/Junk - Drugs. Back when noir films were more popular, (1940s-50s); hop is often used to reference marijuana and "hophead" is someone who smokes a lot of pot.
Knives in my eyes - a splitting headache; e.g., "I've got knives in my eyes. I'm going home sick."
Lap Dog - A lap dog is defined as a dog that is small enough to be held in the arms or lay comfortably on a person's lap. The term is also sometimes used to describe a person who is very easily controlled, such as a yes man. In the case of Brick both definitions are cleverly combined. If you recall the scene where we first meet Kara, she has a freshman boys head in her lap, who springs to her command of "run and get my purse."
On the Nail - immediately; e.g., "He wants cash on the nail."
Pick - A ride in a car (as in "pick-up"); e.g., "Did she get a pick?"
Raise - To get in touch with; e.g., "You couldn't raise em?" This is also used cleverly when Brain asks Brendan, "You couldn't raise her?" referring to Emily whom he could neither contact nor raise, as in raise from the dead.
Reef Worm - A stoner (reefer).
Scape - A patsy to take the blame (scapegoat/ fall guy).
Scraped - Begged off of, cadged from; e.g., "Ask any dope rat where their junk sprang and they'll say they scraped it off [name]...."
Shamus - A private detective.
Shine - To wield (as with a weapon); e.g., "He shines a blade."
Showing Your Ace - Obviously a card reference. An ace is the highest playing card, meaning 'high-quality. When Brendan strips Kara and says "I'm showing your ace," he is saying that Kara's most valuable asset is her beauty, which she uses to manipulate people with (e.g. lap dogs, Dode, etc). Not to mention, ace sounds similar to ass, something else of hers he shows off.
Specks - Eyes or Eyeglasses (spectacles); e.g., "Keep your specks peeled."
Sprang - Originated; e.g., "His gat sprang from Tugger's gang."
Squawk - To give up or snitch on. Or more apt to this, a stool pigeon.
Take A Powder - To slip away; e.g., "Why'd you take a powder the other night?"
Yegg - A criminal.
The majority of the film's special effects were cheaply and efficiently produced using practical and in-camera effects. Early in the film, for example, Emilie de Ravin walks toward the camera out of a tunnel as a garbage bag floats downstream and engulfs the camera, transitioning over to Joseph Gordon-Levitt back in his character's bedroom. To achieve this, the desired effect was filmed in reverse order. The garbage bag began over the camera and was pulled away during filming, as de Ravin walked backwards into the tunnel. This footage was then cut to a scene in which a garbage bag was simply pulled over Gordon-Levitt's head.
Slowly filming a car driving in reverse, then playing the footage backwards at a higher speed gives the illusion of a car quickly approaching as the camera darts in front of it stylishly. Clever fades give the impression of time changes while quick jump cuts add tension to a scene in which the protagonist wakes up after passing out.
The smoke effect that occurs from the gun shot that kills Dode was serendipitous, a fortunate accident if you will. The smoke that we see is actually from the excess compressed air that shot the red liquid (supposed to be blood) out. It wasn't originally supposed to happen, but fortunately turned out to be an excellent effect.
Slowly filming a car driving in reverse, then playing the footage backwards at a higher speed gives the illusion of a car quickly approaching as the camera darts in front of it stylishly. Clever fades give the impression of time changes while quick jump cuts add tension to a scene in which the protagonist wakes up after passing out.
The smoke effect that occurs from the gun shot that kills Dode was serendipitous, a fortunate accident if you will. The smoke that we see is actually from the excess compressed air that shot the red liquid (supposed to be blood) out. It wasn't originally supposed to happen, but fortunately turned out to be an excellent effect.
For the Region 1 DVD: Go to Special Features, highlight Deleted and Extended Scenes, press left twice to highlight the tunnel note (looks like an A), and then select to watch "Origami Master", a short film shot by Rian Johnson in his high school days.
For the Region 2 DVD: Go to Special Features, go to the second page of the Deleted and Extended Scenes, wait for the menu to loop once (should take 15 seconds) and an icon of glasses will appear in the corner of the screen, click them.
For the Region 2 DVD: Go to Special Features, go to the second page of the Deleted and Extended Scenes, wait for the menu to loop once (should take 15 seconds) and an icon of glasses will appear in the corner of the screen, click them.
Some viewers have inquired into what the mark on Tugs forehead is. It has sometimes been referred to as a strand of hair hanging down from under his hat, but its actually a scar. There's also a passage in the original novella where Tug talks about how he got the scar...
"By eight that night the rain had thinned into a marine mist. I trotted down a narrow sandy path and out onto the beach. A bonfire blazed a few hundred yards away. Stuffing my hands in my pockets I trudged towards it, but was only halfway there when I came upon two boys. One was rattling off a story full steam, shadowboxing for emphasis. It was Tugger."
"...takes me for a schmoe that I'm gonna back off, so I take the first guy with a belt below the belt, which, since I'm outnumbered, so the second and third guys pin me but I flip one over onto the other one, peg this one into the ground with his buddy, then I just kick hell for leather and I figure one left, the gig's duck soup, but no this guy whips around and what's he got a pole with a thing on the end you put paint rollers on, but there aint a paint roller, so it's just this metal thing he whips and I just you know fall back and kick his legs out then rub him up, but I get walking away and whoa, it's raining or what, no it's blood, I got sliced on the face. Here. So that's what that is. No big deal."
"Shuck, man." said the other in admiration, shaking his head. Tug lit a joint. The warm glow gleamed off the triangular SCAR on his face."
"By eight that night the rain had thinned into a marine mist. I trotted down a narrow sandy path and out onto the beach. A bonfire blazed a few hundred yards away. Stuffing my hands in my pockets I trudged towards it, but was only halfway there when I came upon two boys. One was rattling off a story full steam, shadowboxing for emphasis. It was Tugger."
"...takes me for a schmoe that I'm gonna back off, so I take the first guy with a belt below the belt, which, since I'm outnumbered, so the second and third guys pin me but I flip one over onto the other one, peg this one into the ground with his buddy, then I just kick hell for leather and I figure one left, the gig's duck soup, but no this guy whips around and what's he got a pole with a thing on the end you put paint rollers on, but there aint a paint roller, so it's just this metal thing he whips and I just you know fall back and kick his legs out then rub him up, but I get walking away and whoa, it's raining or what, no it's blood, I got sliced on the face. Here. So that's what that is. No big deal."
"Shuck, man." said the other in admiration, shaking his head. Tug lit a joint. The warm glow gleamed off the triangular SCAR on his face."
If you pay attention, you see a match being sparked outside the Halloween In January party. For those wondering who that was, it was The Pin. In the original novella there is actually a passage where Brendan runs outside the mansion to follow Laura where this is clarified. Also, later on when Brendan goes to The Pin's house to set up the final meeting between him and Tug, we see The Pin strike a match to light his cigarette.
Brendan has coughing fits throughout the film, due to internal bleeding from all the blows he endures during the beginning of the film (from Brad and Tug mostly). Also, he's functioning on very little sleep, which leads to his collapse in the tunnel.
A lot of people think this implies Laura and Brendan had sex, but according to director Rian Johnson, the shot was originally sequenced after they had made out on the bed, thus they did not.
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- How long is Brick?1 hour and 50 minutes
- When was Brick released?April 14, 2006
- What is the IMDb rating of Brick?7.1 out of 10
- Who stars in Brick?
- Who wrote Brick?
- Who directed Brick?
- Who was the composer for Brick?
- Who was the producer of Brick?
- Who was the executive producer of Brick?
- Who was the cinematographer for Brick?
- Who was the editor of Brick?
- Who are the characters in Brick?Brendan, Laura, The Pin, Tugger, The Brain, Emily, Dode, Assistant V.P. Trueman, Kara, Brad Bramish, and others
- What is the plot of Brick?A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.
- What was the budget for Brick?$475,000
- How much did Brick earn at the worldwide box office?$3.95 million
- How much did Brick earn at the US box office?$2.08 million
- What is Brick rated?R
- What genre is Brick?Crime Drama, Crime, Drama, Mystery, and Thriller
- How many awards has Brick won?11 awards
- How many awards has Brick been nominated for?34 nominations
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