Remember the movie 'Bugsy Malone'? The one where a very young Jodie Foster and equally talented juvenile cast sang their way through a series of jaunty musical numbers, all the while paying respect to the '1930's Gangster' genre they were mocking?

Actually, remember 'L.A Confidential'? The one where a pre-mega stardom, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce bruised their way through a film noir, that without irony recreating the likes of 'Chinatown' et al?

Hold that thought. Remember Donnie Darko? The one where a moody teenager predicts the end of the world, and is hurled headlong into a series of dark and paradoxically confusing set-ups involving a giant rabbit…

Okay, let's try again. Brick is all of the above, and yet none of the above. It deliberately but subtly recreates a detective story in a US high School. The genre is definitely film noir, but then referencing these films is very different to ripping them off. And of course, we have a moody protagonists dealing with all the staples of a charged up teenager, however he is very much in a real world situation.

We begin by following Brendan- an oh so intelligent teenager- as he traces the steps of his missing ex-girlfriend. Enlisting the help of an equally gifted (or nerdy depending on your point of view) friend called 'The Brain' what transpires is a series of events that lead to a local drug dealer known as 'The Pin,' and his volatile hired help 'Tugger.' Mix in an alluring femme fatale, and hard to please vice-principal, you can tell early on in the film that the boy going to have problems.

Brendan is no helpless geek though, indeed he easily holds his own against even the burliest 'Jocks'. He's armed nit just with an incredible ability to absorb punishment, but also the sort of dialogue that you wish you had at hand when you were his age, (if only I had quick-witted script writer waiting at my side). His sparky dialogue is fantastic, and if anything, at times is a bit too clever, but this only means that you have to concentrate a little bit harder. The Ex is played by Emilie de Ravin (Clare from TV's Lost) and the eerie 'Pin' is played by the eerie Lukas Haas (the kid from 'Witness).

The performances all round are great, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the central role and in every scene, holding his own. The film is packed with knowing nods to the genres it's portraying, and the scene in the Assistant vice Principal's office is testament to this. Playing out as a Chief grilling his overzealous but effective cop, Richard Round tree (yes he of 'Shaft' fame) is looking for results, and maybe a fall guy. He and Brendan then launch into a to and fro dialogue that only comes around very rarely. Without going into detail, and hence spoiling the film, that's all that you need to know for now.

Destined to become a classic (probably of the cult variety), all credit to writer/director Rian Johnson. Six years in the making, and worth the wait.