Burn After Reading Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.
| George Clooney | Harry Pfarrer |
| Richard Jenkins | Ted Treffon |
| Logan Kulick | 4-yr. Old Patient |
| John Malkovich | Osbourne Cox |
| Eric Richardson | Princeton Alumni Singer |
| Brad Pitt | Chad Feldheimer |
| Devin Rumer | Surveilance man |
| Patrick Michael Strange | Tourist |
| Lenny Venito | |
| Matt Walton | Del |
| Frances McDormand | Linda Litzke |
| Tilda Swinton | Katie Cox |
| Hamilton Willis | Government Worker |
| Ethan Coen |
7.60 out of 10 (30534 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Very Funny Black Comedy - A Coen Brothers Tour de Force
posted on 28 Aug 2009The movie follows an unlikely scenario where a data file is discovered on the floor of a gym which is then used by staff members to attempt to extort money.This film is very 'Fargo' like with the funniest moments being the most gruesome. There is definitely a shock factor when a surreal plot in a contemporary environment suddenly shows violent acts such as the Brad Pitt punch on the nose.I loved this film and found it very funny but I laughed out loud during Fargo as well so I guess I'm just a sucker for well made, well acted black comedies.I recommend it highly and I have been surprised to read that some people did'nt find it a real belly laugh - takes all sorts I guess....
Go figure . . .
posted on 26 Aug 2009"Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies." Jane Austen Go figure: The acting ensemble of the year and two acclaimed directors can't save a movie dud. The Coen brothers' Burn After Reading is a forced comedy about a couple of fitness center workers (played by Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand) who find a CIA memoir disc and attempt to extort $50,000 from the author, Osborne Cox (John Malkovich).I say "forced" because even the best performance, Brad Pitt as knuckleheaded Hardbodies worker Chad Feldheimer, is wrenched out of an actor better suited to non comedy. Even George Clooney, who sharpened his comic timing in Three Kings, plays smarmy a bit too goofy ans sleazy for my taste.Long gone are the outrageous characters of my fav Coen comedies Raising Arizona, Hudsucker Proxy, and Fargo—all of whom seemed to be underplaying compared to the attempts here.But it's Malkovich who takes the prize for the actor who brings his acidic, loud-mouthed, sneering persona into every role. Frances McDormand is nowhere near the shrewd good ol' girl in Fargo.Respite from the non subtle comes in the screwball comedic exchanges between Hardbodies employee Linda Litzke (McDormand) and Chad and a comical denouement with CIA brass scratching their heads over the absurd activities.I just wish the Coens had brought their quirky, iconoclastic attitude into this one.
A film about nothing...
posted on 26 Aug 2009I don't often comment on films, but after seeing how my friends all reacted so differently to it I thought I would give my opinion.This really is a film about nothing. Nothing happens in the beginning, it takes a long time for the film to get going, then by the end...nothing has really happened.That said-I enjoyed it. It was completely different from what I had thought it would be given the amazing cast list, but enjoyable all the same.I loved Brad Pitt in his role as the lovable idiot, it wasn't a huge part but he was clearly having the time of his life and his enthusiasm made me smile whenever he was on screen.Out of the group of us who went to see the film-half absolutely hated it, a quarter couldn't decide whether they loved it or hated it, and myself and a couple of others really enjoyed it. We appreciated the subtle laughs and the good characterisation. Most of all, we perhaps appreciated that maybe a film does not have to be packed with action and explosions to still be enjoyable? :)
fantastic but not a comedy
posted on 26 Aug 2009This crime, thriller comedy is another coen film found hard to categorise by critics. Burn after reading is once again a brilliant crime based film by the coens. The film stars; Frances Mcdormad as the clueless gym employee looking for some plastic surgery money, George Clooney as CIA treasurer and womaniser Harry pfarrer. When Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) is fired from the CIA and his wife (tilda Swinton)(who is having an affair with married man Pfarrer) searches for a divorce, cox's memoirs go missing. Pfarrer is also seeing Linda Litzke (Mcdormad) who is friends with other 'moron'/gym employee Chad Feldhiemer (Brad Pitt). Chad and Linda attempt to blackmail Cox without Linda Knowing Pfarrer's full story. The story line as you may have guessed is complex yet very enjoyably tied up by smaller performances from; J.K Simmons and Richard Jenkins etc. However every performance from the cast was great and the characters created by the genius of the Coen brothers and stylishly shown by their bizarre yet amazingly independent. I think every Coen film is a jewel in movie making but this one is definitely one of their bigger jewels. Also Brad Pitt was hilarious in this and so was everyone else. 10 out of 10
disappointing
posted on 24 Aug 2009Fargo and Oh Brother where art thou are among my favorite movies so I was really looking forward to this one. First I was surprised that so many parents had quite young children watching this film, with its language, sexual imagery and violence. No one in my audience laughed except a couple of chuckles scattered throughout, the CIA dialogue at the end was the funniest part of the movie. I'm giving it a three simply because I like watching moving images on a screen and because some of the characters were very likable, also like interiors and exteriors of houses. The Tilda Swinton character was very unpleasant. . . kind of hard to believe the George Clooney character would have spent any time with her at all. Linda and Chad and the gym manager were all likable and kind of pathetic. One or two real surprises but sadly those are very unpleasant and difficult to watch. All in all nothing much to get excited about!
The worst movie I've ever seen
posted on 24 Aug 2009This movie was horrible. I couldn't give a spoiler because it is the only movie I've been to that I didn't stay to watch the ending. It was crude, disgusting and tedious. There wasn't a single character that I cared anything about. I didn't hate them, like them or have the slightest interest in them. To say the humor was lame would be an understatement. There was no humor. No one was funny. It wasn't even slightly enjoyable. My husband and I endured about half of it and consider it to be time we would have more enjoyably spent having root canal. Sometimes people think "Wow, if the review is that bad, I want to see for myself if it could possibly be as bad as that." Don't waste your money. I love movies and see a lot of them. I watch them over and over - from black and white to new releases. This is the worst I've ever been violated by.
Enjoyable "Coen Brothers" movie.
posted on 22 Aug 2009When a U.S. government analyst (John Malkovich) is recently lay-off from his job. He decides to write an novel about his personal life at his previous work place. But when his unfaithful wife (Oscar-Winner:Tilda Swinton) decides to copy his files from his personal computer to get an divorced. But the computer disc falls into the wrong hands, when two fitness workers (Oscar-Winner:Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt) found the disc at their jobs. Since these files on the disc are top secret. They decide to sell it to the Russians! But two other people (Oscar-Winner:George Clooney and Richard Jenkins) finds themselves mixed up in this bizarre none-sense.Written and Directed by Oscar-Winners:Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Raising Arizona) made an entertaining black comedy with elements of a thriller. This movie is truly helped by a first-rate comedic cast. The cast seems to be having an great time with this material (especially Malkovich, McDormand and Pitt in a scene-stealing supporting role). "Burn After Reading" is actually much more satisfying than the previous Coen Brothers films like "Intolerable Cruelty" and "The Ladykillers". This film is a modest box office success with positive reviews. This movie should have an major cult following, once it is released on Blu-ray and DVD. If you still haven't seen it in a theater. See it now... do not miss this clever dark comedy. (****/*****).
Biggest disappointment of 2008
posted on 22 Aug 2009I confess, I'm disappointed. I think I'm not alone in saying my anticipation of the movie was great - the Coens are normally reliably interesting, I loved their previous Oscar-winning affair, and there are few actors more watchable than Clooney, particularly alongside the ensemble gathered here. And each performance is engaging - Pitt wonderfully reinvents himself here and Malkovich is superbly unbalanced. The odd set piece and running gag is a hoot.But this is a really disjointed and lazy affair. It has the feel of a movie that had no forethought whatever, like the Coens got up in the morning, had a shower and a cup of coffee, called up a few of their mates to join them on set, and asked the actors to brainstorm what they were going to do that day. Just for laughs. And maybe that really is what they did. Like a cleverly conceived twisty plot? So do I! Sadly, there ain't one here - it's disguised as something interesting and quirky that is really just plain unfathomable, arbitrary, pointless.And where's the writing? The script relies heavily on F***s and S***ts - on their own, perfectly fine descriptive words, particularly in an emergency or in a moment of heightened passion. Both words have enhanced numerous movies I can think of. Some movies would be much the worse without them. But overused in what should be a highly intelligent movie script time and again because more imaginative writing appears to have gone out of the window... well, it's just lazy and dull really.If, like me, you have a few questions as the credits roll - mainly, was it entirely necessary to give Brad Pitt such a wastefully indulgent early exit halfway through the movie? - don't worry, by the time you get to the bar to order your pint, you'll have moved on. It's that kind of movie in the end. Kind of engaging for an outing at the cinema, but way too slight to be memorable for long.
Overrated
posted on 22 Aug 2009I won't give this film 1 star. There was some good acting and it was professionally made. That said, when the central character Ozzy (John Malkovich) has been given lines literally no more than repetition of the F-word, and when we're expected to take this as a group of stupid people doing stupid things, but they all seem to be smart actors' campy portrayals of stupid, you have to wonder what you're doing watching this film. Dilbert does things so lame that Dogbert can't have fun mocking them. That's how this film felt to me.I might as well point out some of the fun bits. The exchanges between the CIA people (David Rasche and J.K. Simmons) are the only truly clever comic bits with good acting combined. Get a few laughs from that and over Linda's (Frances McDormand) body obsession, but the rest of the film is a waste of time.Brad Pitt's attempt to be a hunky, but stupid, protagonist fail. I felt like I was watching the worst of Charlie Chaplain, Forrest Gump and Jethro Bodean rolled together. Could Brad do it? I suppose. But in this film, he didn't. He's dumb as a box of rocks, but can probe a CD and clarify the difference between Mac and Windows formatted CDs. Bad writing; bad acting.Find something better to watch.
Avoid Without Seeing
posted on 22 Aug 2009I lose patience with movies that throw plot devices at you that aren't supported by "real world" rules. This is one of them. For example, two of the characters are having an affair and the male character is in the woman's bedroom while she is away. The male character accidentally shoots a third character hiding in her closet. It's a "bullet through the brain" head shot that leaves a mess all over the place. Afterwards, we learn that the body is disposed of in a river. It's clear that the male character never tells the female character what transpired in her house. But wait a minute, remember it is her house, and the shooting occurred in her bedroom closet, and she's clearly a fastidious person who would notice anything awry. How did the shooter get the closet cleaned up so quickly that she wouldn't notice? Clearly, some of her clothes would have been spattered, too. Also, the third character broke into the house by breaking a glass panel on a rear entrance to unlock the door. So, in the space of presumably a few hours the shooter's character got rid of a dead body, cleaned up blood and gore all over the wall and carpet of a closet, cleaned any affected clothing that got spattered, then cleaned up the broken glass from the rear door and replaced the glass panel. This movie is supposed to be set in the real world, that is, it's not an alternative fantasy universe where physics don't apply. But here's a key plot development that doesn't pass a real world test. This isn't the only plot element that doesn't make sense, just the worse. If any of this is explained in a Deleted Scenes segment, then we didn't bother watching it.
The Best Example Of Occam's Razor Put On Film And Brad Pitt Nearly Steals The Whole Film!
posted on 20 Aug 2009Burn After Reading is a very funny Coen Brothers movie that is far more meaningful than their last film, the Best Picture winning film No Country For Old Men.Beginning with a cosmic zoom into the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA. and ending the same way after some 90 odd minutes, Burn After Reading takes us on a screwball adventure of mistaken motives, extortion and a desperate need for plastic surgery. And since this is a Coen Brothers film, I do mean 90 "odd" minutes.Set in Washington in the here and now, (with one exception), we remain in the DC area and as everyone knows, Washington is a town that fairly runs on paranoia, secrecy and convoluted plots. That's also true of Hollywood and Wall Street, but at least the citizens of DC can pretend they are performing a public service, when they are really just running around on fool's errands.The plot starts when Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), a mean and inept drunkard who mans the Balkan's Desk at the CIA is demoted for his alcohol problem. Angry, vengeful and raging impotently, Cox decides to write a tell-all book about his experiences with the CIA. The fact that he had a very low security clearance, was never privy to any important top secrets and knows nothing of any value to anyone does not occur to him.Simultaneously with this, Osborne's wife Katie, played by an icy/hot Tilda Swinton is planning to divorce him and she has been surreptitiously gathering information about Cox's true financial health so she can be sure to get a proper settlement after they divorce.Then, through some plot complications too difficult to recap, a computer disc of Cox's financial information is found on the floor of a local gym where the plastic surgery obsessed Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), and an empty-headed gym-bunny named Chad (Brad Pitt) make the fateful decision to use the information on the disc to extort money from Cox; a plan which fails abysmally.Still needing money for her elective surgery, Katie along with Chad then decide (rather rashly) to take the disc to the Russian Embassy in the hopes they will pay for the information. Which turns these two fitness trainers into "Persons Of Interest" to the CIA.Those two separate plot points are the engines that propel Burn After Reading and both are based on the seemingly conflicting desires of revenge and self-improvement. But, as is typical of the Coen Brothers, the simplest of plans frequently go spectacularly awry. Don't worry if you lose track of the plot. As you will discover, with most Coen Brothers films, following the characters is more important than following the story line.For example, John Malkovich is perfectly unlikable as the bitter CIA man, but we soon conclude that he has never really been on top of anything in his life, which is why he treats Brad Pitt so abominably.Frances McDormand is thoroughly believable as the kind of woman who can't see how beautiful she is and acts as if a tummy tuck and breast augmentation are the magic bullets that will solve her persistent loneliness. But, McDormand's character is so self-absorbed she doesn't even notice that Ted (Richard Jenkins), her boss at the gym is in love with her and is secretly pained when he discovers that she's in trouble.But it's Brad Pitt who made the film for me. Whether he was stretching a gym patron's legs to the point where the guy's ligaments snap or just chewing gum and listening to his I-Pod while car dancing; being a complete featherbrain has never looked so sexy.There is a scene where Pitt is surveying Malkovich's Georgetown house when he notices some suspicious people going in and out of the house, coupled with another car down the road with a driver who also seems to be spying on Malkovich. As Pitt tries to process this information, you can literally see the wheels of his tiny brain grinding as he tries to formulate a theory about what he is witnessing, but his skull is as empty as a helium filled balloon. He is the living, breathing incarnation of a "himbo" if ever I saw one, sporting a body that's a perfect 10, but an IQ in the negative numbersSince this is a Coen Brothers movie, you can expect some serious violence. Interestingly, most of the violence is perpetrated on the nicest and most naive of characters. Initially, I felt that the Coen Brothers had irreparably damaged this film by the inclusion of such violence against a major character we have come to like, but by the finale, considering the sheer ludicrousness of the whole story, I was smiling again. While all this other stuff is happening, there are some senior intelligence analysts at the CIA, keeping tabs on the people in this story and they are trying to make sense of it all, but they can't. This is where you should invoke Occam's Razor. Of course these CIA guys can't find a plot or pattern, because there isn't one.We live in a phenomenological world, where random things occur and are often not connected except by the most coincidental of tangents. Yet, because of our innate ability at pattern recognition, we humans can convince ourselves that all kinds of unconnected coincidences are meaningful. I hate the cliché of the weak-minded that claims, "Everything happens for a reason". Because in truth, not everything is connected. Some things happen for no rhyme or reason. Generally speaking, you should never believe there is some kind of conspiracy going on when ordinary stupidity and fecklessness is more than adequate to explain phenomenon. That is the ultimate message of Burn After Reading and it is a good message, and although it may be too bleak for some people to grasp, that doesn't make it any less true.
Great Movie
posted on 20 Aug 2009This movie was definitely worth the wait!!! Even my husband (who normally falls asleep at all movies) thought it was worth staying awake for!!! Brad Pitt was hilarious. George Clooney was wonderful too. The characters did a wonderful job of making the CIA look absolutely idiots. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone. If you like Brad Pitt and George Clooney you would definitely like this. Brad Pitt plays an absolute fool. It has a cast of characters that many recognize from other movies and shows. The previews just do not do justice to the hilarity of this movie. It also shows what low self-esteem can cause as it affects everyone around you. The character of "Linda" is a prime example.
Great Movie, Full of Originality and Dark Humor
posted on 20 Aug 2009I felt like I needed to review this movie because it has been largely misunderstood by many of the reviewers on this site. First off, this is not a movie that is going to show you everything and baby step you through the plot. (Children please leave now, this is an adult movie)Part of the reason why I enjoyed this movie so much is because it engages you as the viewer by forcing you to consider all the event that are happening. Trying to piece all the randomness together and make sense of all the events unfolding in front of you is one of the best aspects of the movie. (shocking as it may be we are forced to use our brains!). Even though the majority of the characters appear to have nothing in common and no real relationship with each other, their true connections lie in their actions. George Clooney's invisible threads for instance touch pretty much every single character in the movie even if there is no real interaction between them. There is a deep underlying theme of betrayal and a "big brother" complex which many of the characters develop or exhibit throughout the movie.As far as the acting goes each actor plays their role very well and I think that some viewers were disappointed because they were expecting a more developed Brad Pitt / George Clooney relationship as is the case with most of their movies. As for the humor, it lies in a darker corner underneath the character dialogue. This film makes best use of what I would like to call "situational comedy". (Like taking the "classified information" to the Russians (The embassy!) so that they could collect some sort of reward). The brief scenes with the CIA are quite amusing as they mostly sit on the sidelines throughout the movie and clean up after the mess which is left behind after the seemingly simple firing of one Mr. Cox.I am always pleasantly surprised by how original this movie was and how it almost makes fun of all the stereotypical Hollywood bull**** that is filled with most movies today. One of the ways you can tell a movie is good is if you watch it multiple times and still find something new or amusing in the story each time.Bottom-line: If you are looking for a story that is more than skin deep (which the Coen brother are notorious for) then you have come to the right place. For everyone else where thinking hurts your head, go watch the new Transformers Movie.** On a side note** To the one reviewer who thinks Clooney shoots Brad out of no where, if you had actually bothered to pay attention during the movie you could see that when Clooney opens the closet the first thing he grabs for is his gun hanging on the wall. Then because of his yeeaars of service as an air marshal his training kicks in and out of instinct he shoots before he thinks. (This may be also partly due to his paranoia of being followed by spooks)
Finally something satisfying
posted on 18 Aug 2009I've waited all year for a movie that was simply satisfying. Anyone who doesn't think this movie is funny and surprising is just one of those morons that Obsorne Cox has been fighting against all of his life. I should, just for the record, admit that I have never been a Coen Brothers fan. Didn't understand Fargo and didn't even attempt to see No Country for Old Men. So after reading a few negative reviews I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but I was very pleasantly surprised and surprising is exactly what it is. I think the fact that it plays like a suspense thriller or a drama is part of the fun. When we're laughing out loud the audience really understands that they are witnessing a unique comedy. I mean people clapped in our theater and that has been rare to nonexistent this year, even for the Dark Knight they didn't clap. My husband laughed so hard he couldn't catch his breath. So I warn you be careful in this movie you might be laughing uncontrollably and choke on your popcorn or worse spit out your drink. Enjoy. 9/10
Film references the murder of Frank Olson by CIA
posted on 18 Aug 2009Throughout all of the comments posted about Burn After Reading no one has caught a vital reference in the movie relating to the CIA's role in murdering American citizens; the reference being the somewhat obscure name choice of the character 'Olson', played by Armand Schultz, whose name refers to the bizarre but true tale of the U.S. Army scientist, Frank Olson, murdered by the CIA in 1953. The entire story is too long to post here but an internet search on 'Frank Olson' would turn up sufficient info. The basic information follows and is verifiable: Frank Olson was dosed with LSD, without his knowledge, during the MKULTRA era of psychotropic drug experiments on unwitting American citizens and subsequently suffered a psychotic break and nervous breakdown. After a psychiatrist recommended he recover in a mental institution he was taken to the 10th story of a Manhattan hotel and fell to his death by being thrown through a window. Although the CIA went on record saying he defenestrated himself and ruled his death a suicide, upon exhuming his father's body in 1994 Eric Olson had an autopsy done and it was discovered that his father had received blunt force trauma to his head prior to his fall. Basically, because he was privy to many illegal operations and state secrets and could not be trusted to keep them secret since he was mentally unstable...Frank Olson was murdered by the U.S. government and then the CIA lied about it. ALSO, the CIA has...get this...an assassination manual that includes instructions on how to disguise a murder as a suicide, such as through a fall from a considerable height, about 10 stories. Look it up.
Forget After Viewing
posted on 18 Aug 2009After thoroughly enjoying Fargo, I came to this well reviewed movie with as lot of expectation and left very disappointed.I remember seeing the "Trouble with Harry" which seems like a million years ago but still remember laughing my head off. It had characters that seemed real, a ridiculous but interwoven plot that somehow was hilariously credible and side splitting humor all the way though."Burn after Reading" had none of that. Some of the overacting was atrocious especially from Pitt and McDormand and to be honest Pitt's exit from the film came none too soon. There was little plot structure and some branches ran off into in-explicable dead ends. The only characters I found worth watching were Malkovich who tried to inject some life into it, the sincere gym manager who contrary to Pitt deserved some more lines and the dry humor of the intelligence agents. The Coens really love violence. Maybe they should try making a movie without it. I felt in this one it was only there to relieve the boredom.
It's a hilarious movie about stupid people, and we'll leave it at that
posted on 16 Aug 2009The Coen Brothers are at it again! After taking home the Best Picture award at the Oscars for last year's No Country For Old Men, everybody was holding their breath to see what the Coens would do next. Well it's here, it's got an ensemble A-list cast, a loopy plot full of blackmail and espionage, and an offbeat brand of humor. Sounds like the Coens to me.Burn after Reading is about an ex-CIA agent named Osborne Cox (John Malkovich), who after quitting his job decides to write a revealing memoir about his past in the CIA. However his wife Katie (Tilda Swinton), who is cheating on him with the paranoid Federal Marshal Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), finds his memoir, burns it onto a CD, and ends up losing it by leaving it at a public gym. It is here where two quirky gym employees, Linda Litzke (Frances Mcdormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), find the CD, and also Osborne's phone number and address. The pair decide to blackmail Osborne into giving them 50,000 dollars if he ever wants the CD back, otherwise they threaten to give it to the Russian Embassy. As all 5 of these morons get further and further into their little web of blackmail, greed, and deceit. Nobody seems to notice the severe consequences waiting for them just around the corner.Burn after Reading is really not a film that relies too heavily on its plot, since it just gets more and more idiotic as it goes along. This film relies more on its stupid characters and all the immoral, self centered hi-jinks they get into. Which they could have avoided had they just acted a little smarter. I am not saying Burn after Reading was a stupid film, I'm saying it was a very good movie about stupid people, stupid morals, stupid decisions, and frankly just downright stupidity. These characters are all perfectly cast and every single character has their moment (or moments). John Malkovich is excellent as a very angry guy, who begins to just hate everybody and everything. George Clooney is funny as a paranoid, sex addicted weirdo who cheats on his wife every chance he gets. Frances Mcdormand also gives a standout performance as a woman who needs lots of money, because she feels she needs plastic surgery and rhinoplasty to make herself look beautiful. However the real scene-stealer here is Brad Pitt as a flamboyant gym trainer who is obsessed with his ego. In one scene his character tries to smart talk Osborne over the phone by pretending to sound like a secret agent, but really just ends up repeating Osborne's name over and over again. It's scenes like this that really give this movie its comedic flavor.I have never seen a movie that goes this far with such idiot characters. However that is really what makes Burn after Reading a memorable film. Nobody acts with intelligence, everybody is self centered, absolutely nothing is at stake, and almost everybody gets hurt in some way by the end over nothing. There are a few scenes involving two CIA agents trying to figure out what exactly these people were actually trying to do, and they simply just have no idea, and neither do we. I can barely explain anything about this movie without using the word stupid in every sentence, which I'm sure you've noticed. So we'll just leave it at this: It's a hilarious movie about stupid people, and that's just about it. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.
A sizzling comedy is another fine Coen picture
posted on 16 Aug 2009Osbourne Cox (Malkovich) quits his job at the CIA and puts his thoughts onto a disc, which is picked up by two gym trainers.The imagination and bizarreness of the Coen brothers will never be appreciated enough and this creative realistic look at the CIA mixed with mid life crises is right up there with Lebowski and Fargo.Opening from space and zooming down right into the heart of a CIA building will surprise even the hardcore Coen fans and the directional magic the pair conjure never lets up as a camera stays at foot height for the opening sequence, following Malkovich into his destination. The immediate interpretation of the organization is stereotypical sensation, a cold hearted bunch of men in suits telling their man his day is up. Malkovich's reaction is a marvellous turn of anger and amazement and the "In the line of Fire" actor never lets his guard down for the entire film.When we see a group of A list celebrities collaborate it will either be superb or it will fail, and here, everyone is superb. Pitt's s*** stirring Chad is a comic revelation next to Swinton's bitchy stuck up Katie. McDormand may not be as strong as her pregnant Police Chief Marge from Fargo but you will laugh along with her all the way through, and her reaction to seeing Clooney's invention will be with you long after viewing. Speaking of Clooney (Ocean's Eleven) he plays a somewhat significant role to the proceedings. His uninvolved protagonist Harry becomes the King of the chess board at the end of the film, and as we get there, we are seeing a modern day male player, filled with that cheesy charm that you simply have to respect. The star of the show is Pitt who seems to get better and different with every film and that in itself is not easy to do, especially after performances like a certain Tyler Durden. J.K Simmons must be the most under-appreciated actor of the 21st century; he is in all of 2 scenes and has the most memorable impact on the forever twisting narrative.When looking back, Burn after Reading is hard to cement into a certain genre. The obvious dealings with CIA and the illegal activities fall into the crime, but though a fast ending is not sharp enough to be categorized into a thriller. Not to mention the gritty realism gives the drama and the characters deliver the comedy.Sharp and gritty, this 2008 Coen picture is equally as impressive as their previous releases and with such a brilliant ensemble of actors, it is unmissable
not their best, but pleasurable nonetheless
posted on 14 Aug 2009This is by far not the most interesting production by the Cohens, but it is worth watching on a variety of levels. First, there is the pleasure of seeing a bunch of good actors working together with great chemistry, some of them (like Pitt and Clooney) certainly not in their "traditional" roles. Second, the story is actually wacky enough to hold up in terms of internal logic, as strange as it may seem. As usual with the brothers, do expect some unexpected turns, of the violent variety. And yet, somehow, the movie retains the character of a light comedy. Pay particular attention to the very last words spoken in the film, they may be the best summary of the whole thing I've heard so far.
Very Good
posted on 30 Aug 2009I was distracted at the start. It didn't engage me. It was a bit slow and not much happened. I like Malkovich but i didn't really want to watch him anymore after seeing so much of how funny Brad Pitt looked from the trailer.Don't read into it that much, the start was still better than half of the generic movies out there right now but it didn't match up to the rest of the movie. This doesn't mean that Malkovich is the short straw either as he and his character do get a lot better.Brad Pitt as I pretty much already guessed stole the show. Just as Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder and even though in a whole different context Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. If he doesn't get his 2nd Oscar nod (maybe 3rd if The Curious Case gets him one as well) for this then there is something cruelly wrong with this world. He's a shoe in for the golden globe nomination at least.The plot is so Coen-esquire that you just can't help but smile the whole way through the film, even through some deliciously dark parts. Its laugh out loud funny and subtle funny at the same time. It's quick, sharp and breathtaking film-making.Stellar performances from Pitt, McDormand and the minimally used J.K Simmons with apt help from Clooney make this the Coens best non serious movie since The Dude's last sip of his white Russian.