REVIEWERS have been wracking their brains to describe writer-director Rian Williams's fine feature debut.

The O.C. does The Big Sleep, says one. Imagine Twin Peaks with dialogue by Raymond Chandler, suggests another.

As you can tell, Brick isn't your ordinary run-of-the-mill thriller.

Not for nothing did it take the jury prize for originality of vision at last year's Sundance film festival. Williams takes the classic Forties film noir format of the out-of-his-depth gumshoe, femme fatale, crime boss and convoluted plot and then relocates this dark side of life in the glare of the Californian sunshine.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - a long way from TV comedy Third Rock From The Sun - is impressive as high school outsider Brendan Frye, who's determined to find out why his girlfriend Emily (de Ravin) ended up dead in a tunnel. He has inside help from The Brain (O'Leary) as he enters the murky, bloody world of the local drug dealers ruled by The Pin (Haas). Everyone wants to blame him for Emily's death - and beat him up. A scene rarely goes by without someone thumping the hell out of Brendan. The trail leads him to meetings with her classmates who would clearly be better off in a detention centre than a high school. They include the inevitable seductive rich girl (Zehetner), stoner Dode (Segan) and a cabaret performer (Good).

As with any good film noir, the plot is hopelessly complicated.

You let your concentration slip at your peril. Stay with Brick and you'll be rewarded with one of the most original movies for ages.

Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Emilie de Ravin, Meagan Good, Noah Fleiss, Matt O'Leary, Noah Segan
Running Time: 110 mins
Rating: 4 Stars