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Amazon.co.uk Review
After the dark brilliance of No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's Burn Before Reading, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role). To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (The Visitor's Richard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is. Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of The Big Lebowski, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If Lebowski represented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, Burn sees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from Enemy of the State to The Bourne Identity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Synopsis
The Coen Brothers re-team with George Clooney for this blackly comic film set in the world of a former spy. John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, and Tilda Swinton are along for the sure-to-be wild ride filled with the Coens' trademark humour. With their overtly comedic follow-up Burn After Reading, the Coen Brothers return from the dark, dank recesses of the human psyche they traversed in their Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men. For those unfamiliar with the landscape of modern movie psychoanalysis, this puts the fraternal filmmakers square in the cruel, misanthropic, and farcical realm of their 1990s-era body of work, somewhere between the tragicomic crime thriller of Fargo and the disconnected noir-homage anti-storytelling of The Big Lebowski, with 2007's No Country retroactively adding new nihilism-tinged dimensions of smart scepticism to the proceedings. In a more linear trajectory, Burn After Reading also stands as the third entry, after Blood Simple and Fargo, in what could be an unofficial Tragedy of Human Idiocy trilogy, wherein characters make the most outlandishly moronic moves to devastating consequences simply by adhering to true human behaviour. Indeed, Carter Burwell's emotionally weighty score, which washes over biting scenes of explosive, anesthetizing belly laughs, is very reminiscent of his Fargo work. Burn After Reading is ostensibly structured and propelled by a spy-thriller plotline involving a classified CD lost by a disgraced CIA spook and found by two simple gym employees. The CIA superior who learns of the film's events (always second-hand and sometimes along with the viewer) doesn't know what to make of it, and why would he? This is the first Coen film in almost 20 years not shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins, yet the ‘new’ guy, Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men), has created as visceral and emotionally fraught a high-definition cartoon as any since Barton Fink.
DVD features English and Spanish language soundtracks.
DVD features English and Spanish language soundtracks.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
There's an awful lot of 1 star reviews on here for this - seems a bit harsh to me. Of course the Coens are always going to annoy some people - they are a bit smart-arsey and their habit of leaving out certain scenes which could be construed as being `integral' to the plot is a long-standing joke of theirs which they obviously find very funny. They were even at it in `No Country', which was finally their major breakthrough to the mainstream - the shoot-out between Moss and the Mexicans? But I'm a long-time fan and despite the occasional stinker (`Intolerable Cruelty' and `The Ladykillers'), they've made me laugh more than just about anybody else over the last 30 years, so I'll stick with them.
So how do they follow up the commercial and artistic success of `No Country`? With a film about a bunch of selfish, bungling middle-aged losers making a mess of their and everybody else's lives, that's how. If there's a common theme to the Coens films' then it's `nobody knows anything', and never was that truer than here. This is their take on the spy genre, the `Bourne' films and others of that ilk; but instead of being full of smart, dangerous killers there's just a bunch of useless idiots constantly cocking-up and jumping to the wrong conclusions: the results, however, can be just as fatal. Nobody is as harsh on the consequences of stupidity as the Coens.
I'm not crazy about George Clooney doing comedy, it seems to me he relies too much on mugging and pulling `funny' faces; apart from him, however, the performances are uniformly excellent. John Malkovich is wonderfully irascible and Tilda Swinton splendidly unpleasant as Mr and Mrs Cox (not a name, you feel, that was chosen by accident). Brad Pitt is perfect as the dozy air-head Chad and has a couple of great moments; his dance after the first phone-call to Cox and his attempt to assume a `threatening' expression during the conversation with Cox in the car are hilarious. Frances McDormand is as good as ever and, if that's her body in the opening scene, is a damn good sport as well (I suppose it helps having your husband as the director).
I don't think it's one of their best but, lest we forget, `Lebowski' was greeted with widespread derision on its release so maybe this will be a sleeper like that. I enjoyed it - come on, it's worth more than 1 star surely?
So how do they follow up the commercial and artistic success of `No Country`? With a film about a bunch of selfish, bungling middle-aged losers making a mess of their and everybody else's lives, that's how. If there's a common theme to the Coens films' then it's `nobody knows anything', and never was that truer than here. This is their take on the spy genre, the `Bourne' films and others of that ilk; but instead of being full of smart, dangerous killers there's just a bunch of useless idiots constantly cocking-up and jumping to the wrong conclusions: the results, however, can be just as fatal. Nobody is as harsh on the consequences of stupidity as the Coens.
I'm not crazy about George Clooney doing comedy, it seems to me he relies too much on mugging and pulling `funny' faces; apart from him, however, the performances are uniformly excellent. John Malkovich is wonderfully irascible and Tilda Swinton splendidly unpleasant as Mr and Mrs Cox (not a name, you feel, that was chosen by accident). Brad Pitt is perfect as the dozy air-head Chad and has a couple of great moments; his dance after the first phone-call to Cox and his attempt to assume a `threatening' expression during the conversation with Cox in the car are hilarious. Frances McDormand is as good as ever and, if that's her body in the opening scene, is a damn good sport as well (I suppose it helps having your husband as the director).
I don't think it's one of their best but, lest we forget, `Lebowski' was greeted with widespread derision on its release so maybe this will be a sleeper like that. I enjoyed it - come on, it's worth more than 1 star surely?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A Coen Brother's film? A film starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand AND John Malkovitch? This was a film for which I had high expectations, sadly they were not met.
The convoluted plot centred around John Malkovitch's CIA memoires and various attempts at blackmail arising after they fall into the wrong hands is actually quite interesting, and with a different slant the movie could have been great. But too much emphasis is placed on silly schoolboy humour, cardboard caricatures and pointless characters. The only actor who comes out of this with any credit is Malkovitch, who seems unable to put in a bad performance. Clooney and Pitt are given nothing to get their teeth into, Clooney coasts through with an uncommitted bland turn, and Pitt goes over the top in a toecurlingly hammy and misjudged delivery.
Interesting plot and premise, let down by a poor script, poor direction and poor acting. Trying to be objective, and ignoring the huge sense of disappointment after a build up that promised so much, I can only give this two stars.
The convoluted plot centred around John Malkovitch's CIA memoires and various attempts at blackmail arising after they fall into the wrong hands is actually quite interesting, and with a different slant the movie could have been great. But too much emphasis is placed on silly schoolboy humour, cardboard caricatures and pointless characters. The only actor who comes out of this with any credit is Malkovitch, who seems unable to put in a bad performance. Clooney and Pitt are given nothing to get their teeth into, Clooney coasts through with an uncommitted bland turn, and Pitt goes over the top in a toecurlingly hammy and misjudged delivery.
Interesting plot and premise, let down by a poor script, poor direction and poor acting. Trying to be objective, and ignoring the huge sense of disappointment after a build up that promised so much, I can only give this two stars.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Burn After Reading (2008) is a hammy visual comedy. It might be slightly more funny the more times you watch it but I wouldn't call it "hilarious" or "brilliantly clever and endlessly entertaining" as described on the DVD.
It's about a CIA agent played by John Malkovich whose wife (seeking a divorce) obtains a disc of his memoirs/financials which somehow falls into the hands of dim-witted gym employees played by Frances McDormand (playing a maternal gym employee) and Brad Pitt (playing a childlike gym employee). The plot becomes complicated when they seek to blackmail the CIA agent and later sell the disc to others. In the end, the paranoia of all the characters leads to quite a gruesome turn of events and the CIA seek to round-up the unfinished plot points to us in the end.
As a visual comedy, the film works well especially because of the slightly hammy performances. It's a nice flight movie because you pay attention to the visual images and the way things are laid out far more and you can dip in and out without feeling guilty (because the film is so indifferent and the actors so unremarkable).
The CIA employees "investigating" the case explain to each other what's going on in a debrief which intercedes every so often in the film. This compensates for the difficulties in filming the plot and the script and the fact that we probably don't understand enough about the characters from the actors themselves.
It's not a traditional film in the style you'd expect of an intelligence thriller (which this would normally be classified as). I also just don't know about George Clooney's role - that one seems otiose as does the chair he builds!
The film appears to revel in the slight bizarreness of the comedy, the unnecessary parts, and those little dangling beads in your mind about why everything is quite the way it is.
It's about a CIA agent played by John Malkovich whose wife (seeking a divorce) obtains a disc of his memoirs/financials which somehow falls into the hands of dim-witted gym employees played by Frances McDormand (playing a maternal gym employee) and Brad Pitt (playing a childlike gym employee). The plot becomes complicated when they seek to blackmail the CIA agent and later sell the disc to others. In the end, the paranoia of all the characters leads to quite a gruesome turn of events and the CIA seek to round-up the unfinished plot points to us in the end.
As a visual comedy, the film works well especially because of the slightly hammy performances. It's a nice flight movie because you pay attention to the visual images and the way things are laid out far more and you can dip in and out without feeling guilty (because the film is so indifferent and the actors so unremarkable).
The CIA employees "investigating" the case explain to each other what's going on in a debrief which intercedes every so often in the film. This compensates for the difficulties in filming the plot and the script and the fact that we probably don't understand enough about the characters from the actors themselves.
It's not a traditional film in the style you'd expect of an intelligence thriller (which this would normally be classified as). I also just don't know about George Clooney's role - that one seems otiose as does the chair he builds!
The film appears to revel in the slight bizarreness of the comedy, the unnecessary parts, and those little dangling beads in your mind about why everything is quite the way it is.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Different
This film is quite different from anything else. I think the best word to describe it is "random". George Clooney and Tilda Swinton are quite annoying in this film, but it motors... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jon
another classic from the Coen brothers
A very entertaining film with a good story. A comedy but realistic you can see how easily the situations would occur in actual life. Read more
Published 8 months ago by bjs
Not even Malkovich could save this
I just saw the trailer for this again and felt compelled to warn people about how very tedious and long-winded it is. Brad Pitt can't act. Fine. At least let him look pretty. Read more
Published 9 months ago by G. Heyer
worst film i have ever watched
This is literally the worst film i've had the un-plesure of watching. i regret paying for and owning it, how can film with so many good actors be so bad, this is a case of... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dotty Landsdown
'Side splitting comedy genius' it is not!
Though seemingly set to rave reviews, the funniest part of this film was when Brad Pitt refers to himself as Mr Black (possibly a humourous nod to his role in 'Meet Joe Black', or... Read more
Published 10 months ago by aew88
wackey
not my favourite - that men who stare at goats - but still great off the wall stuff. worth getting for Brad Pitt
Published 10 months ago by jh
Clooneys basement surprise!
Burn After Reading is a funny comedy from the Coen Brothers. It has a famous main cast but theres also some very funny support by David Rasche, J.K. Simmons and Richard Jenkins. Read more
Published 11 months ago by j.r
More show than substance, but what a show!
Another screwball comedy from the Coens with another impressive cast. While Malkovich, Pitt and Swinton are new to Coens' company, they fit just right in. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ian Williams
Burn After Reading DVD
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and would recommend it. I have never seen Brad Pitt do comedy before but he was brilliant and showed what a versatile actor he is. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Cherry
Burn after watching?
The number of people giving this film 1 star almost equal the number giving it 5 and 4 stars.I am afraid that I am in the 1 star camp. Read more
Published 13 months ago by C.Elder
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