Brick

I was worried this movie would not pay off, would end ambiguously with too much character drama. Good news! It does end, and explanation is given. This is not one of those movies (like The Divide 2011, or Cube 1997) that doesn't bother explaining what happened. Maybe audiences LIKE being left hanging - I don't! I'm watching this scifi "high concept" for answers! You don't have a murder mystery then never reveal the murderer!

Yes, you'll put up with some drama - some of it drags, but there IS a payoff in explanation. YES, there will be some dangling strings, but in the end you're given a satisfying enough explanation for their plight.

Quick note to other reviewers - many of you have your math very wrong for the discovering the code. He uses flour to determine the four numbers used to activate the code. In statistics this is a permutation. Using the four numbers he knows (NOT NINE!) he has four options for the first, three for the second, two for the third. That's 4x3x2x1=24 possibilities as he stated. (Why the system didn't have a "stops after the third password attempt" is beyond me)

Brick is a classic example of a film with a fascinating concept but frustrating execution. Visually and thematically, it promises a lot; a surreal urban prison, mysterious walls, and hints of deeper societal metaphors. The creativity is undeniable, and the premise alone earns some respect. Unfortunately, that's where the praise ends. The flow is muddled, the plot is meandering, and any emotional resonance falls completely flat. It is as if the movie wanted to be some sort of sci-fi thriller, but shifted into almost a drama. It is confusing, and not focused on the plot itself.

It leaves you more detached than intrigued. Once the credits roll, there's little desire to revisit; simply because it is unsatisfying. A wasted opportunity wrapped in a high-concept shell.

At first, it looks like it's going to be a good movie. A simple but powerful premise: a couple on the verge of emotional collapse wakes up to find their apartment sealed off by a mysterious black wall. From there, you might expect a mix of tension, claustrophobic sci-fi, and psychological drama. And for a while, Brick delivers. But then, it loses its way.

The beginning works: Tim (Matthias Schweighöfer) buries himself in work, Olivia (Ruby O. Fee) wants to run from a relationship that feels empty. Just when she decides to leave, the whole building shuts down. No signal, no water, no windows. At first, you're hooked because you're asking the same questions they are: what's going on? Why them? What's behind those walls?

But soon the script starts to stumble. More characters show up, each with their own set of clichés: the shady cop, the troubled young couple, the sick old man, the innocent granddaughter... and instead of adding tension, they dilute it. The relationships that could have meant something stay flat, and the central mystery - the wall, the entrapment, the "why" - fades as the story drifts into forced dialogue and scenes that go nowhere.

You can tell the director wants to explore grief, emotional isolation, and the inner walls we build. And to some extent, he does, especially thanks to the lead performances, which are the best thing here. But with the supporting characters adding little, the pacing turns uneven and the emotional weight the story aimed for gets lost along the way.

Visually, it's decent. The production design creates an effective atmosphere, and there are moments when the oppressive mood comes through. But then come the scenes that try to be action or conspiratorial thriller, and it all falls apart. Brick wants to be a lot: a drama, a mystery, a social horror, a critique of fake news... but in the end, it never fully commits to any of them.

The resolution doesn't help either. The "reason" behind the confinement tries to close things out with symbolic meaning, but it doesn't quite land. It feels like the journey was supposed to matter more than the answer. That's fine, but even the journey ends up feeling incomplete.

It's not a disaster. There are interesting ideas, a few well-done scenes, and a mood that works in some places. But everything it could have been - intense, meaningful, unsettling - ends up as just "almost." It doesn't quite bore, but it doesn't move you either, and for a story about being trapped, that's a problem.

I like science fiction movies, so when I saw Netflix was releasing Brick, a film where people get mysteriously trapped in their apartments, I was immediately intrigued. Add Matthias Schweighöfer to the mix and I was in. (Fun fact: I didn't know he was German, but the last name should've tipped me off.)

The premise is cool: Tim (Schweighöfer) and his girlfriend Olivia (played by Ruby O. Fee) suddenly find themselves sealed inside their home by strange walls. They can't get out, but they can break through floors and walls into neighboring apartments. That's how they meet others in the same situation and form a group determined to escape.

The concept is strong, and I'll admit: I wanted to know what would happen next. There's suspense, tension, and a mysterious "end-of-the-world" atmosphere that kept me engaged. But... it's far from perfect.

Each character is given a brief backstory, but then when they die, it often feels pointless. Their background doesn't really feed into the story, and I was left wondering why the film spent time introducing it in the first place.

And while some moments are truly tense, others are unintentionally funny or just poorly written. A woman stuck halfway inside a wall? It's supposed to be horrific, but comes off as bizarre slapstick. A supposed villain taped to a chair escapes like it's a magic trick, which breaks the tension instead of building it.

There are also logic issues. One guy, who lost his hands, somehow figured out how to open part of the wall using advanced tech he shouldn't have access to. It's never explained. Plot holes like these hurt the believability, and that's especially annoying in a film that wants to be taken seriously.

Working in building maintenance myself, I also couldn't help but notice: the way the apartments are structured (with everyone able to break through floors so conveniently) is completely unrealistic. It took me out of the experience more than once.

That said, the ending was strong. Dark, grim, and oddly satisfying. It fit the tone of the story and didn't try to sugarcoat anything. I respect that.

So why a 6/10? Because despite the flaws, Brick does keep you watching. It's an original idea with a solid atmosphere and decent performances. But with lazy writing in key moments and too many logical gaps, it falls short of being the smart, grounded sci-fi it wants to be.

I'm a bit surprised at the number of one-star reviews for this film. "Bad acting," "Dumb script," etc. I actually thought this was the time of storyline that Rod Serling would have written for a Twilight Zone episode and certainly intriguing enough to hold my attention throughout. The story centers on the husband and wife whose relationship is now in ruins. The other characters suffer from lack of development. I'm wondering if some viewers watched this film in the dubbed version -- where the English speaking dubbers are indeed bad and the translations awkward. I watched the subtitled version and I so no problems at all with the acting. Certainly the basic plot arc is not original -- it is similar to films like Saw, Escape Room, Cube and even Poseidon Adventure: characters must work together in order to escape and survive. But I found the film atmospheric and engaging. Granted the whole creation of the impenetrable wall and what has caused it is far fetched, but so what. There is also in interesting visual correlative throw in -- the fly. I wish there had been more visual moments like this, but just sit back and enjoy a "Twilight Zone" style story.