Burn After Reading: Film Review

8/10

The Coen Brothers get back to their darkly comic, farcical routes here after the serious and symbolic No Country For Old Men, with this off beat and surreal comedy of errors.

Burn After Reading follows a chain of events that occur after CIA Analyzer and all round windbag Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) is fired for his "drinking problem". His sudden urge to write a memoir, despite having no real stories to tell, sees the leak of potentially important intelligence, which is picked up by two idiotic gym workers, Linda (Coen regular Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) who see the potential for profit, mainly to pay for Linda's urge for plastic surgery. In a knock around way that involves divorce, stalking, internet dating and DIY sex devices, their blackmail attempts also drag in Cox's straight-laced wife (Tilda Swinton) and her lover, former bodyguard and sex addict Harry (George Clooney). Confusion and misunderstanding reign supreme as a dance of destruction is led.

The film really is reminescent of earlier Coen brother efforts such as Fargo and The Big Lebowski, with it's oddball humour, bizarre yet fascinating characterisations and inspired use of a quality cast. Coincidence and bad luck are keypoints to the farce unfolding, and this is ostensibly what this is, a farce. Of course, there's still the sprinkling of unexpected violence which somehow fits the almost surreal aptmosphere of the piece.

In as much as the script is superb, with some realistic yet hilarious dialogue, it leaves a lot for the imput for the actors, and they have a great time with the material. McDormand plays things out as an almost obliviously pessimistic optimist, citing her irritation at negative attitudes while pitying her own physical shortcomings. In an oddly innocent way, she uses those around her and uses her mantra of moving forward as a means of avoiding the burden of the damage she causes.

Brad Pitt, bizzare to watch with skin tight cycling shorts and a hair dye malfunction, is a childlike buffoon with a bizzare habit of repeating himself and dancing at inappropriate moments, almost has a charm about him reminscent of Father Dougal McGuire. In one scene his reaction to being punched in the face is that of a heartbroken and confused infant, more baffled than worried.

Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich get to enjoy interesting spins on their images, with Malkovich all pomp and bluster but invariably loathed by those around him and with no real source for his high self opinion, while Swinton's ice queen seems unaware of what goes on around her despite clear intelligence and a commanding presence, relying mostly on put downs when she doesn't understand or care to understand the behaviour of those around her.

For me, the film is dominated by George Clooney's hysterical performance as the borderline ADHD, love rat Harry Pfarrer. When not speaking at length about his various allergies, with a breakneck pace of speech reminscent of Michael Keaton on the white powder, he is bedding various women despite very much loving his wife. His character is similar in ways to Pitt's, in that there's a boylike quality in which he often misses the mark while trying to please, while also holding back paranoia which is solidified by a mystery car following him as he goes for his post-nuptials run.

There's also sterling work from eternal 'that guy' character actors Richard Jenkins, the only sympathetic character in the story as Linda's boss and unrequited admirer, and J.K Simmons, as a baffled CIA director being appraised of the unravelling disaster.

Beefed up by an oddly melancholy score and excellent slow burn editing, there's a laid back pace about the story despite it's content, while a couple of shocks register but are always a source of laughs rather than game changers.

Overall, Burn After Reading is a great gem of a black comedy, filled with enough plot, hidden touches and subtly played laughs to ensure a high rewatch value. Very much recommended.

A strong 8 out of 10.