Brick [WS]

Ranking up there with the hard-boiled best of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler is this cracking good noir crime thriller. Set in a contemporary L.A. high school, it's the tale of a brainy loner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) investigating a murder involving his former girlfriend (Emilie de Ravin), with quite a few of his classmates as prime suspects. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, whose script crackles with terse, colorful dialogue. Lukas Haas, Matt O'Leary, Meagan Good, Noah Segan.