Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Cast: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 96 minutes
Stars: 3.5
Burn After Reading is the latest film from the Academy Award winning directing/writing duo Joel and Ethan Coen. Earlier this year, the brothers walked away from the Academy Awards with a handful of Oscars each including Best Director and Best Film for the suspenseful No Country For Old Men. The Coen brothers generally make films that are comedies or thrillers. Often there is a crossover of the genres and they are always very well written and filmed.
John Malkovich plays Osbourne Cox, a CIA agent who begins writing his memoirs after quitting his job. His wife Katie, played by Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton; The Chronicles Of Narnia) considers divorce after having an affair with Treasury agent Harry (George Clooney). She copies Osbourne's personal computer files, including his memoirs, onto a cd which accidentally falls into he hands of two gym instructors: the lonely Linda (Frances McDormand) and the airheaded Chad (Brad Pitt). Linda and Chad believe that the memoirs are classified CIA information and attempt to blackmail Osbourne.
If you were expecting the Coen brothers to make a follow up film in the same style as No Country For Old Men, think again. Burn After Reading couldn't be more different. It is first and foremost a comedy, full of dark wit and not the type of immature humour that is prevalent in most comedy films these days. On paper, the plot could well seem ridiculous but it is so well acted by actors who don't usually play comedy that it works. The characters all seem to take themselves so seriously. Brad Pitt is hilarious as a vague gym instructor and George Clooney is very funny as a paranoid and insecure middle-aged husband. The rest of the cast give excellent performances making the film a well rounded ensemble.
Watching the film, you don't know where it is heading. At times it has the feel of a thriller and there are elements of suspense to make it more than just a simple comedy. However, there are lewd moments that are funny but at the same time unexpected and they may shock the more conservative film-goer.
