Rian Johnson directs Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo in this romantic comedy involving two conmen siblings, their mysterious muse and their recluse mark.

I had my stock bought early, was a Rian Johnson booster since Brick. Yet his sophomore movie was never released near me in 2008… and I lived in central London in 2008! So it has been languishing on my “must watch” list for a long old time. Not going to lie, bit disappointed. The prologue featuring the brother planning their first scam as kids has juice but none of the stars. Once we age up, Ruffalo and especially Brody seem to be playing against type and the trivia confirms they swapped roles during rehearsal. The switch doesn’t chime. The movie feels overly slavish to Wes Anderson in look and rhythm. One Wes is enough! And considering this came out in the wake of The Spanish Prisoner, Nine Queens, Matchstick Men AND Confidence (also starring Weisz) it doesn’t have anything new to say about the film flam sub-genre aside from reheating the leftovers in lesser used international locations. Rinko Kikuchi as a near silent explosive experts and a montage of Rachel Weisz’s hobbies are the stand-outs but both glimmers are whimsy of the highest order. I need to catch Brick again.

5

Perfect Double Bill: Brick (2005)