I’m betting those who didn’t know about the Coen Brothers before “No Country for Old Men”, know about them now. Following up their Oscar-award winning tour de force, is an eccentric comic adventure that is part spy film satire and part infidelity picture. A star-studded cast lined up to appear in “Burn After Reading”, including Hollywood heavy hitters George Clooney and Brad Pitt. This movie will not disappoint Coens fans, old and new. While different from the intense thriller from last year, this dark comedy is not a lesser product and has its own share of internal drama.
The story begins with a Washington D.C. insiders, CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich; “Shadow of the Vampire”) who has recently been let go from his job. Not receiving emotional support from his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton; “Michael Clayton”), Ozzie decides to write his memoirs to help replace his lost income. His memoirs, which include some marginally sensitive information, are misplaced and end up in the hands of two fitness gym employees, Chad (Pitt) and Linda (Frances McDormand; “Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day”). Chad and Linda are unlikely cohorts, who attempt to blackmail Cox for return of the computer disk. Clooney plays Harry Pfarrer, a confident yet twitchy U.S. Marshall who’s prideful assertion is that he’s never discharged his gun. He has a thorny relationship with most of the main characters.
The directors keep the story hurtling forward to an eventual, somewhat serious conclusion. The idiosyncrasies of the characters keep the mood light for most of the film, causing plenty of chortles and guffaws. The performances brought out of this already talented stable of actors are appealingly fresh. Clooney may be considered for another Oscar nomination after this role, his facial expressions speak a thousand words as he is placed in one tense situation after another. Malkovich handles the focal character well, giving the audience more of what we love about him - his sometimes explosive wit. McDormand is sympathetic as she searches for love later in life, wearing her heart on her sleeve. All of the characters’ portrayals are surprisingly well-rounded, as the audience can find something to like and dislike about each one of them.
There are a few startling moments, where the audience is shocked out of the pace the film creates. I wonder if the Coens like switching tones in their films, slowing things down one minute for character development while creating a crisis in the very next scene? The film relies on some light sexual humor and occasional outbursts of incessant profanity, but without betraying the equilibrium of the picture. The higher ups in the CIA have some of the best lines, responding to the problems created by these relatively insignificant people. The boss (J.K. Simmons; “Juno“) practically lets us in on the jokes the Coens are telling, assuring us there are more serious fish to fry than this dysfunctional troupe. But audiences will be entertained by their zany antics.
Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.
