# Brick (film)

Brick is a 2005 neo-noir thriller film about a loner who seeks answers behind the death of his ex-girlfriend. Heavily inspired by such works as The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep.
    Written and directed by Rian Johnson

## Brendan Frye

* I've got knives in my eyes, I'm going home sick.
* Throw one at me if you want, hash head. I've got all five senses and I slept last night, that puts me six up on the lot of you.
* You set that poor kid up! You held Dode like a card 'till you could play him.
* Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you.
* I'm looking to find this big game the Pin's played, not to gum it, but just so when its tail jams in my back I'll know who to bill for the embalming.
* Uh-huh. And he wants cash on the nail. He's a pot-skulled reef worm with more hop in his head than blood. Why pay for dirt you can't believe?

## The Pin

* Let's take you back upstairs. Back with the living.
* Where you were at, with all of us and the Tug a fist away, you've got to use your nut. Allay the situation. So, yeah, you're not scared of me, I got it, but I'm also thinking you're a little nuts now, so you've got that trade off with your situation. But nuts isn't all bad, so maybe it was a good play. I don't know.
* Anyway you've been sniffing me out before then, sniffing for me like a vampire bat for a horse with a nick on its ear he can suck on.

## The Brain

* When the "Upper-Crust" does shady deeds, they do them all over town, and the pitch is, they got these little symbols so they can tell each without word getting around.

## Others

* Laura Dannon: Fearless flyer.
* Kara: Make sure you wanna know what you wanna know.
* Kara: Still wish you knew what you wanted to know?

## Dialogue

    Emily: [over the phone] I screwed up real bad, you know?
    Brendan: Screwed up how?
    Emily: Look, I did what she said with the brick. I didn't know it was bad, but The Pin's on it now for poor Frisco, and they're playing it all on me.
    Brendan: Slow down, now. What?
    Emily: You gotta help me Brendan, please. I think Tug...Oh no!
    [she hangs up]
    Dode: I know what you did. I was in the tunnel. I saw you hide her.
    Brendan: Dode?
    Dode: Anyone I tell, it would ruin you some way. And I'm going to tell someone.
    Brendan: Are you making an offer?
    Dode: Maybe. Maybe. Or maybe I'll just do you in.
    Brendan: Hire another hash head to blade me?
    Dode: Don't need no blade, Shamus. I just gotta squawk.
    Brendan: What do you want?
    Dode: Just to see you sweat.
    Brendan: No. And no more of these informal chats. If you have a disciplinary issue with me, write me up or suspend me and I'll see you at the Parent-Teacher conference.
    Assistant VP Trueman: Hold it, I could – hold it – could write you up for talking back to a VP. For looking at me in a threatening way. I'd exercise a little more tact, Mr. Frye. You can't pull a play like that unless I need you for something. So do I?
    Brendan: Maybe.
    Assistant VP Trueman: So maybe you're gonna need me too.
    Brendan: Maybe. Alright, I need you off my back completely for a few weeks. There might be some heat soon.
    Assistant VP Trueman: If it's something I can't cover, I won't go to bat for you.
    Brendan: If I get caught like that it's curtains anyway; I couldn't have brass cutting me favors in public. I'm just saying now so you don't come kicking in my homeroom door once trouble starts.
    Assistant VP Trueman: Okay, here's what I can do. I won't pin you for anything you aren't caught at. I'll ride it a little while, as long as it doesn't get too rough. But if anything comes up with your fingerprints on it, I can't help you. Also, if I get to the end of whatever this is and it gets hot and you don't deliver, The Veep will need someone to hand over, police-wise. And I'll have you. There better be some meat at the end of this like you say, or at least a fall guy.
    Brad: Hey! What are you doing here?
    Brendan: Just listening.
    [long pause]
    Brendan: All right, you got me. I'm a scout for the Gophers. Been watching your game for a month, but that story right there just clenched it. You got heart, kid. How soon can you be in Minneapolis?
    Brad: Yeah?
    Brendan: Cold winters, but they got a great transit system.
    Brad: Yeah?
    Brendan: Yeah.
    Brad: Oh, yeah?
    Brendan: There's a thesaurus in the library. Yeah is under "Y". Go ahead, I'll wait.
    Brad: You know, who invited you?
    Brendan: To the parking lot? Gee, I guess I invited myself.
    Brad: Maybe you want to go somewhere more private?
    Brendan: [Coyly] With you? Sure.
    Brendan: Still picking your teeth with freshmen?
    Kara: Well, you were a freshman once.
    Brendan: Way once, sister. You and Em were tight for a bit. Who's she eating with now?
    Kara: Eating with?
    Brendan: Eating with. Lunch. Who.
    Assistant V.P. Trueman: You've helped this office out before.
    Brendan: No, I gave you Jerr to see him eaten, not to see you fed.
    Assistant V.P. Trueman: Fine. Very well put.
    Brendan: Accelerated English, Mrs. Kasprzyk.
    Assistant V.P. Trueman: Tough teacher.
    Brendan: Tough, but fair.
    Brendan: Emily said four words I didn't know. Tell me if they catch. Brick?
    The Brain: No.
    Brendan: Or Bad Brick?
    The Brain: Nope.
    Brendan: Tug?
    The Brain: Tug? Tug might be a drink, like milk and vodka, or something.
    Brendan: Poor Frisco?
    The Brain: Frisco? Frisco Farr was a sophomore last year, real trash. Maybe hit a class a week, I didn't know him then, haven't seen him around.
    Brendan: Pin?
    The Brain: Pin. The Pin?
    Brendan: The Pin, yeah?
    The Brain: The Pin's kinda a local spook story, you know, the Kingpin?
    Brendan: Heard it.
    The Brain: Same thing. He's supposed to be old, like 26. Lives in town.
    Brendan: Dope runner, right?
    The Brain: Big time. See, the Pin pipes it from the lowest scrapper to Brad Bramish himself. ...Maybe. I mean, ask any dope rat where the junk sprang, and they'll say they scraped it off that, who scored it off this, who bought it off so on -- after four or five connections the list always ends with The Pin. But I betcha you got every rat in town together and said show your hands if any of 'em actually seen the Pin, and you'd get a crowd of full pockets.
    Brendan: You think The Pin's just a tale to take whatever heat?
    The Brain: Hmm... So what's first?
    Brendan: Show of hands.
    Brendan: Brain, I can't let her go. I was set to but I can't. I don't think I can.
    The Brain: You think you can help her?
    Brendan: No.
    The Brain: You think you can get the straight, maybe break some deserving teeth?
    Brendan: Yeah. I think I could.
    The Brain: Well.
    Brendan: Kara tried to rope me. She came right out and asked. She was scared. Tell me to walk from this, Brain. Tell me to drop it.
    The Brain: Walk from it. Drop it. But you're thick, Brendan.
    Brendan: Yes, I am.
    Brendan: Why are you telling me all this? What's your play?
    Laura: You think nobody sees you. Eating lunch behind the portables. Loving some girl like she's all there is, anywhere, to you. I've always seen you. Or maybe I liked Emily. Maybe I see what you're trying to do for her, trying to help her, and I don't know anybody who would do that for me.
    Brendan: Now you are dangerous.
    The Pin: You got Tug to bring you in here, which he never does. And you got me listening. So, I'm very curious what you have to say, and it better be really, really good.
    Brendan: I was just going to come up with some bit of information, or set up some phony deal. And I think she'd let me walk. Then I was going to go to the vice principal and spill the in the street address of the biggest dope port in the burg.
    Tug: He knows zippo.
    Brendan: 1250, Vista Blanca, the ink blotter, on the desk in the den, in the basement, of the house with the tacky mailbox.
    Brendan: Your muscle seemed plenty cool putting his fist in my head. I want him out.
    The Pin: Looky, soldier...
    Brendan: The ape blows or I clam.
    Tug: So, clam! What've you got that I can't beat out of you back in the basement?
    The Pin: Give us a few minutes, Tug. I'll call you if whatever.
    Laura: Do you trust me now?
    Brendan: Less than when I didn't trust you before.
    Laura: [On the phone] Who is this? Or I'll hang up.
    Brendan: You don't know me, I'll save you some time.
    Laura: I know everyone, and I have all the time in the world.
    Brendan: The folly of youth.
    Emily: Brendan, I know you're mad at these people because you think I went away from you and went to them but, you need to start seeing it as my decision. Stop getting angry because where I want to be at, is different from where you want to be at.
    Brendan: Who fed you that line, Em?
    Emily: Stop picking on Dode. He's a good guy.
    Brendan: The pie house rat?
    Emily: He's a good friend.
    Brendan: So, what am I?
    Emily: Yeah, I mean what are you? Just sitting back here, hating everybody? I mean, who are you judging anyone? God, I really loved you a lot. I couldn't stand it. I had to get with people. I couldn't heckle life with you anymore.
    Laura: You're quite a pill.
    Brendan: Uh-huh.
    Laura: Where are you going?
    Brendan: Home.
    Laura: Why did you take a powder the other night?
    Brendan: Same reason I'm taking one now.
    Laura: Hold it. I wanna help you.
    Brendan: Go away. Look, I can't trust you. You ought to be smart enough to know that. I didn't shake up the party to get your attention, and I'm not heeling you to hook you. Your connections could help me, but the bad baggage they bring could make it zero sum gain or even hurt me. Better off coming at it clean.
    Laura: I wouldn't have to lead you in by the ha...
    Brendan: I can't trust you! Brad was a sap. You weren't. You were with him, and so you were playing him. So you're a player. With you behind me I'd have to tie one eye up watching both your hands, and I can't spare it.
    Brendan: You got a cigarette?
    Tug: I don't smoke.
    Brendan: I've seen you smoke.
    Tug: I don't smoke cigarettes.
    Brendan: You gotta come back to me, Em.
    Emily: No!
    Brendan: You're in a spot but I can get you out of it, if you just come back to me.
    Emily: No you're not hearing me! I don't want to be put away and protected.
    Brendan: Whatever befalls you I'll deal with. Just tell me about the trouble with the brick, the pin.
    The Brain: What did she whisper to you?
    Brendan: She called me a dirty word.
    The Brain: All right, you don't have to tell me.

## Cast

* Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Brendan Frye
* Emilie de Ravin - Emily Kostich
* Nora Zehetner - Laura Dannon
* Matt O'Leary - The Brain
* Noah Fleiss - Tugger "Tug"
* Lukas Haas - The Pin
* Brian J. White - Brad Bramish
* Meagan Good - Kara
* Noah Segan - Dode
* Richard Roundtree - Assistant Vice Principal Trueman

## External links

* Full script and novella
* Brick (film) quotes at the Internet Movie Database