Reviews
Burn After Reading!
2nd February 2009
Burn After Reading begins in the CIA headquarters with a verydisgruntled and angry Osborne Cox (John Malkovic) being fired. This first scene sets much of the tone for the film and provides a very amusing opening. The film initially follows the life of Cox who, with a drink problem and no career, informs his wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) that he has decided to write a memoir. Katie is having an affair with Federal Marshal Harry (George Clooney) whilst planning her divorce from Cox. Harry himself is married to Sandy (Elizabeth Marvel). Katie is then advised by her lawyer to get hold of Cox’s financial records so she can use them against him in the divorce.
Unfortunately for Cox these details, which contain CIA files, end up in the hands of Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt). Chad and Linda, who work together at the local gym, decide it would be a good idea to blackmail Cox for money so Linda can have plastic surgery. There is a hugely entertaining phone call where Chad informs Cox that he has his, “CIA ****” and he wants a reward. From this point on Chad and Linda make it their mission to gain a reward from the, “CIA ****” and go to extraordinary lengths to make sure this happens.
The performances of Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand are superb. The pair work perfectly together creating some enormously funny scenes which comedy films have perhaps lacked over the last few years. Brad Pitt, in particular, takes on a completely new role playing Chad and seems to be branching out as an actor moving away from simply playing the hero as in ‘Troy’ and ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’. He is maturing as an actor and adopting more of a variety of roles in films such as ‘The Assassination of Jesse James’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’.
The film itself is very typical of the Coen brothers. ‘No Country for Old Men’ was a straight thriller which had none of their usual quirky moments. ‘Burn After Reading’ puts them back on familiar ground. As is characteristic of their style, the film is quirky, funny and entertaining but full of dramatic shocks which take you completely by surprise. The Coen’s manage to intertwine the lives of the central characters superbly despite their being no key protagonist. Therefore, when the characters do meet up there are some enormously funny moments.
Overall the film is brilliant. It takes you on a diverse journey which does leave you slightly confused but this doesn’t matter in the slightest. The only criticism is that the film is not very poignant or deep, but this is more than compensated for by its fast pace. It is a hilarious and a thoroughly enjoyable film and I recommend anybody to go and see it.