I Got Kicked Out of 'The Brutalist'
How a fire alarm ruined my night.
This article should be my review of Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. I should be praising the incredible acting, gorgeous visuals, and haunting score. Yet, here I am, writing about a movie I have only seen 2/3 of because someone decided to set off the fire alarm in the middle of the film. So, instead of writing a review for a film I still need to finish, why not give a little story time of my hectic day at the AMC in Century City?
My best friend and I have been on our movie grind recently, spending loads of our time at AMC trying to watch all the movies we want to catch before the year completes. Just last week, we did a double feature of Nightbitch and Queer, and it was a blast. So, we decided to do another double feature. This time, we paired Nickel Boys and The Brutalist, two films that were getting significant praise, meaning we had to see them opening weekend.
We started off the day with Nickel Boys, a film about two African American boys who are sent to a reform school where they were abused and manipulated. It was quite a heavy film, and I was not expecting it to be as stylized as it was, with everything shot in a POV manner. It was a pretty good film, but it lost itself in the sauce, leaving the desire for a more polished story. It is still worth checking out because it has much to say and some breathtaking visuals sprawled throughout its runtime.
After, we grabbed some pizza and did some shopping before it was time for the next film at 6PM: The Brutalist. Now, as much as I liked Nickel Boys, we were very much more excited and intrigued with The Brutalist. I ensured I was caffeinated and fully awake for this spectacle because of its three and a half hours length. We weren’t the only ones excited about it, as people filled every seat in the theater. The vibes were electric. Cinema enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds were here, and you could just feel the rising energy in the room as we inched closer to the film’s start.
We did not realize it when we reserved the tickets, but we booked the showing with a special introduction. The listing did not say who it was, but a spotlight arrived at the front of the theater, and the film’s cinematographer, Lol Crawley, surprised us with a visit, detailing his work on the film and expressing his gratitude for everyone in the crowd. The rising energy I mentioned earlier was evolving even more, with the hype of this potential new cinematic classic creating a ball of adrenaline that bounced ferociously across the room.
I cannot express how much I enjoyed watching this film. Something about The Brutalist captured the minds of everyone inside the theater, pulling each person into this story that felt so beautifully told. When the intermission portion of the film rolled in, everyone rushed to the bathroom and concessions, but when the intermission was over, everyone was back in their seats. I don’t remember a single person coming in after the intermission concluded. It was very serious for all of us. We were ready to complete the last hour and a half of this tale. That is until 30 minutes into the second act, the movie stops, the lights come up, and the fire alarm starts blaring.
The theater we were in was pretty big, so everyone was piling out into the one exit on the right side that led out back to the entrance of the AMC. Outside the theater was even worse, as the three other standard theaters and the Dolby theater crowds plummeted into the lobby area. Keep in mind, AMC Century City has three floors, and we were on the top floor, meaning the escalators were a bit backed up. At this moment, we didn’t know what was going on besides the staff asking us to evacuate the building. You would think with this uncertainty looming in the air, people wouldn’t make stupid decisions. Well then, I guess there is no hope for humanity, as, instead of evacuating, people were rushing to validate their parking tickets and entering the elevators. I turned to my best friend, pointing at the elevator with a group of people inside, and said, “Natural selection at its finest,” because why the hell are you going to get into an elevator while the fire alarm is going off?
We finally made it outside, waiting for further information. It was pretty cold, but we were trying our best to remain positive. Meanwhile, everyone was socializing, asking each other what movie they were watching and what they thought so far. The common answers were The Brutalist, Nickel Boys, and Sonic 3. About 30 minutes passed, and three firefighters pushed through the crowd and walked right inside. They were not dressed in their usual uniform, just wearing the firefighter pants and their fire department t-shirts. Their casual nature caused theorization among the crowd about what actually happened because it was clearly nothing serious. Some said a worker probably burned the popcorn, while others said someone was probably vaping in the bathroom. My money is on the latter because it has happened once or twice at my job, also setting off the fire alarm and causing evacuation.
After the speculation and more waiting in the cold, they filtered us back indoors in groups based on your theater number. First, it was theaters 1-5, then 9 and 10—the IMAX and Dolby theaters, I believe—and then everyone else. They told us our movie would be playing once we got there, and we could finish it. My best friend and I were among the first people back in the theater, and low and behold, the movie was playing, but not at the spot we left off at. We were standing there, staring at this big screen as a random scene played from The Brutalist we had never seen. This might sound a bit silly, but I don’t think I have felt more powerless in my life. Everyone filtered back in as the story continued at a random spot, all of us just standing there, wondering what to do. The lights were on, and nobody could pause it, so we were just there taking in what’s playing.
An aerial shot of a train speeding down the tracks found on a green field emerged onto screen. We stared at the scene occurring, and then the train exploded. Everyone gasped, with a few people yelping out a “No!” because we witnessed a train blowing up without context. What is on the train? Who is on the train? Finally, they paused the film, stating that they were working on rewinding it to where we left off. The movie rewinded after a few minutes, just not where we left off. Everyone groaned. There went the train, exploding for a second time, with us all still not knowing what was happening. The lights come back on, and three workers enter the theater. One started yelling over Guy Pearce’s voice, which roared through the speakers. She said they had a screening in this theater later that night, so they needed all of us to leave right now and that we could get refunds at guest services. We were basically getting kicked out.
I find it funny because we checked the showtimes for the rest of the night while waiting outside. They had about 4-5 showings after 9:30—it was about 9:00 when we were evacuated—and each one had roughly 8-10 people in it. Wouldn’t it have been easier to refund the fifty people coming later and let everyone else finish their movie instead of refunding the hundreds of people being asked to leave to make way for them? Maybe I’m just bitter because of the broken promise of finishing the movie, but from a business perspective, it seemed like AMC would lose more money by refunding everyone already there. Alas, what can one do?
My best friend and I both have AMC A-List, meaning, technically, it was a free showing. However, we still had to wait in the Disneyland-esque line to get to guest services so they could reset our free reservation for that week. You could hear the complaints roar through the lobby. Some made sense, like asking why we could not finish our movie. Others were a bit nonsensical, like asking for a refund on the food and drinks they consumed. Like you already fucking ate your popcorn, dude. You aren’t getting your money back. In the end, you either got a free movie ticket and a free popcorn per person or two free movie tickets per person. We chose the latter. Thanks AMC.
Am I upset that this chaotic experience kinda tainted my first impression of this film? Yeah, of course. I was visibly frustrated after they told us we had to leave because I was so down to finish the movie that night. Yet, what can I do about it? Shit happens, and we just got to roll with it. Who knows when I will see this film again, but hopefully, by the time this goes up, I have selected and reserved the time I can see it. I usually don’t write about personal experiences like this on my page, but it was just too wild of a story not to share. As Olivia Rodrigo once said, “God, it’s brutal out here.”