In 2005. Rian Johnson made his breakout film, Brick, a detective noir starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a modern high school setting. The film remains notable because Johnson had the characters use slang dialogue similar to that found in old-school hard-boiled detective novels. However, in a high school setting, it was quirky and distinctly unique.

The story was a mystery in which a high school student, Brendan (Gordon-Levitt), set out to find who killed his ex-girlfriend, Emily (Emilie de Ravin). This leads him to several suspects, including Laura (Nora Zehetner), The Pin (Lukas Haas), and Tug (Noah Fleiss). This all resulted in an Agatha Christie-style whodunnit.

The ending came down to Brendan setting up a meeting between Tug and Pin, as he figured out that one of them had either killed Emily or knew who had. However, that meeting falls apart when they realize drugs have been stolen from Pin, and Brendan runs before the police arrive. What happens next is where things falls into place.

Who Killed Emily In Brick?

Tug Killed Emily

The answer to the question of who killed Emily was the big mystery in Brick, but it was also mostly a MacGuffin in the story. Yes, Brendan wants to know who killed his ex-girlfriend, and that is the big mystery, but in the end, who killed her never mattered. What mattered was the characters’ actions leading to the big reveal.

Brendan found himself in great danger all along the way thanks ot the various students he crossed paths with as he set out on his journey. Two of these were the drug kingpin, Pin, and the dangerous Tug. When he finally brought the two of them together, he figured out who killed Emily.

Tug killed Emily because he thought she stole one of the bricks of drugs from Pin and tainted it, making the drugs ᴅᴇᴀᴅly to anyone who took them. However, he wasn’t the only person responsible. Emily was sent to Tug by her supposed friend Laura, so in reality, Tug killed Emily, but Laura pulled the strings that got her killed.

Why Did Tug Kill Dode?

Tug Thought Dode Was Going To Implicate Him

Tug killed Dode to protect himself, but what he didn’t know was that Dode would’ve cleared Tug’s name if he hadn’t jumped the gun. Dode had information on who killed Emily and was going to reveal this in front of The Pin, Brendan, and Tug. Just when he was about to say it, Tug killed him to silence him.

The ironic thing is that Dode thought Brendan killed Emily. Dode was there after Emily’s murder and saw Brendan carry the body further up the tunnel to keep it hidden. He was going to implicate Brendan as the murderer, which would have allowed Tug to get away with it, but Tug was the real killer and couldn’t take the chance.

Why Did Laura Manipulate Everyone In The Movie?

Laura Was This Movie’s Femme Fatale

Laura was primarily responsible for everything that happened in Brick. This all started when Laura stole the ninth brick from The Pin because she wanted to turn Pin’s men against Tug’s and start a war between the two groups, hoping they would destroy each other. However, she had to cover for herself to keep herself alive.

As a result, she set up Emily and made it appear as though she had stolen the brick. She told Emily to tell Tug that she was pregnant and the baby might be his. With Emily there, Tug panicked because he thought she had stolen the brick, and he killed her, even after she said she was pregnant.

Once again, Tug jumped the gun and killed someone for something he thought they did, but in actuality, they were innocent of doing. Laura’s plan worked, too, since Tug ended up strangling The Pin to death and then running when the police showed up. It was then that the police sH๏τ and killed Tug, eliminating both drug dealers.

How Did Brendan Point The Police In Laura’s Direction?

Brendan Told The School Laura Had The Stolen Drugs In her Locker

While Laura planned the downfall of Tug and The Pin, Brendan had a plan of his own. He called the police to have them show up at the meeting with The Pin and Tug. Brendan then placed Emily’s body in Tug’s car’s trunk. Since the police killed Tug in a shootout, they would find Emily’s body in the car.

This means that Brendan ᴀssured that the world would know Tug killed Emily. Brendan had one last loose end. He wrote a letter to the school administration that revealed the stolen brick of drugs was in Laura’s locker, ensuring that she went down for drug possession, enough to put her away to punish her for her part in Emily’s death.

Whose Baby Was Emily Pregnant With?

Brendan Was The Baby’s Father

Brendan broke this down to Laura. He realized that Laura was pulling the strings when the two met and Laura kissed him. That’s when Brendan saw the brand of cigarette she was smoking and realized she was with Emily before her murder. Brendan told Laura he had let the school know about the drugs in her locker.

Laura knew she was going down and wanted to get in one last jab at Brendan. Laura told Brendan that Emily told Tug she was pregnant with his child, but this was a lie. Laura explained that Emily was pregnant and didn’t love the father of the baby. That timeline means that Brendan was the father of the unborn baby.

What Did Laura Whisper To Brendan In The Ending?

Laura Had One Last Message For Brendan

At the end of Brick, Brendan made sure Emily’s body was in the perfect place for the police to know Tug killed her. He ensured that Laura would be sent to jail for possession of the brick, and that anyone who survived would realize she stole it.Laura realized Brendan won and had one last thing to say to him:

“Motherfu**er.”

This was impossible to hear clearly, but when the closed captioning was created for the film, the final word was on the screen for all to see. Laura realized she was losing after believing that she was on top, and the last scene of Brick had her let Brendan know she was going down, but not without the last word.