Brick

Schweighöfer, playing his usual Schweighöfer-role, wakes up and discovers - together with his wife - that all windows and doors are sealed shut by a mysterious black wall. Maybe the neighbors, who they reach by breaking through the wall, know something.

I've rarely seen something so utterly devoid of talent. Every single actor performs like they just found out what a film set is - this morning.

The dialogue is so far removed from anything resembling human speech, you'd think aliens tried to simulate human behavior... and failed miserably.

Every scene, every line, every plot point: completely absurd, utterly implausible.

So, if you're in the mood to cringe hard and feel your IQ gently slipping away - just hit play on Brick.

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 liked this movie but it was not without problems. I thought the plot was intriguing enough as contained films are good, and its not to say this is bad it just needed something more. Tim and olivia live in an apartment complex, they are having troubles but they wake up one morning to see a strange black magnetic wall has fitted itself into the building and stopping them from leaving. The stakes could have been higher. There is much threat here and the wall could have been utilized more than the three points of horror we see from it. But still its acted well and the thrill are enough to keep it going.

Brick is the ultimate grandmother of all bad movies ever made. So bad you can hardly believe it. Incredibly lame with a stupid story that leads nowhere. Who writes this stuff? Who at Netflix thinks, "hey this sound really cool. How much money do you need? I mean, we are Netflix, we swim in money." The entire 2nd act, (if one can call it that) is so painfully boring. Every character is undeveloped, has no goal and is totally unappealing. What a waist of time. The director (also the author) behind this drama has no idea how to build suspense. Do you see any fear, sweat, tears or anger in the characters? No. The whole thing was probably shot on some soundstage in Eastern Europe (because it was cheap). Just an embarrassing movie.

Tim and Olivia discover an occurrence: their apartment has been surrounded by strange bricks and a black substance that surrounds the entire block.

The very first thought that came to my mind was, 'Is this a remake of Await Further Instructions?' The initial premise was very, very similar. In terms of originality, the film didn't quite cut it; I've seen a similar concept done better.

Perhaps not original, but it is a formula that does work: a nice mystery, some good characters, it's well acted, and I wasn't bored. I really liked the final scene, and despite some dodgy special effects, the final act looked pretty good.

The film badly needed more of everything: more tension, more horror, more panic, and more threat. Were it not for Yuri, there wouldn't have been much of any of them. I thought Frederick Lau was good fun; his character seemed to have the right mindset for survival and was quite entertaining.

On the whole, it's not a bad film; just keep your expectations in check.

6/10.