Anyone whose first exposure to the Coen brothers’ ingenious wit, off-center outlook on life and distinct style of film-making was a viewing of last year’s Oscar-winning but brooding “No Country for Old Men” is going to be pleasantly surprised by “Burn After Reading,” the latest release from the duo. “No Country for Old Men” was certainly a dark look at an even darker subject, with a difficult ending. “Burn After Reading” is also dark, but it is darkly humorous. For those familiar with the brothers’ earlier works, their latest effort ranks among their best and will provide not only a real treat, but one hell of a wild ride.
“Burn After Reading” unfolds on the frame of a spy comedy set in Washington, D.C., a city perfectly fit for espionage and governmental blunders. The story line follows the lives of five flawed characters as they inadvertently end up entangled in each other’s lives, resulting in one giant mess that cannot be neatly resolved.
John Malkovich plays Osborne Cox, a recently fired CIA agent who faces blackmail after two local gym employees (Francis McDormand and Brad Pitt) stumble upon what they believe to be top-secret files. In actuality, the files are just Malkovich’s memoirs and financial records.
As Pitt faces Malkovich and delivers a line strikingly similar to “We wants the money, Lebowski,” from one of their earlier films, it becomes clear the Coen brothers are tapping the same vein of situational and character-driven humor that they mine in their previous comedic endeavors. It may be derivative, but, boy, does it ever work. The film may be called a lot of things, but it is always entertaining, even if at some points a viewer may ask himself or herself “What is going on?”
That’s not to say, however, that the film is simply a rehash of the conflicts or plot devices present in “The Big Lebowski” or “O, Brother Where Art Thou?” or even “Raising Arizona.” “Burn After Reading” is much more than that. From the pace of the movie, which feels like a jerky roller coaster at times, to the immensely dark humor, “Burn After Reading” turns out to be the evil stepbrother in the Coens’ already-dysfunctional family of films.
The film may be billed as a comedy, but the true humor lies beneath the sight gags, jokes or one-liners. Although the ever-disintegrating relationships in the film, such as between Cox and his wife (Tilda Swinton), seem depressing on the surface, the interactions between the characters are downright hilarious and set the tone for the film.
George Clooney steals the show with his performance as Harry Pfarrer, a treasury agent who regularly sleeps with Cox’s wife. Clooney’s portrayal of a neurotic philanderer, whose conversation starters include types of flooring and gastrointestinal problems, is as charming as it is convincing. Turning in a stellar performance as a character you love to hate, Clooney goes against his heroic leading man persona and shows just how far his acting range can go.
McDormand and Malkovich are outstanding as well, delivering subtle, hilarious and nuanced performances throughout the movie that keep the film on track and provide its center. In fact, Swinton’s extraordinary turn as a cold, hard pediatrician should have been given more screen time. Perhaps the Coen brothers could not give each of the cast members the time in front of the camera that each of them really deserved, since the film clocks in at only a little over an hour and a half in length. If so, by not giving Swinton more scenes, the audience gets the short end of stick, but she surely makes the absolute most of the time she does have.
If there is a major disappointment in the film, it would have to be Brad Pitt’s character and the performance Pitt gives. Pitt’s role as the dim-witted personal trainer ends up basically as nothing more than the Hardy to McDormand’s Laurel. Admittedly, Pitt’s character does not provide him much to work with, since he is a simpleton who exhibits only minimum brain activity as he attempts to orchestrate the plot to squeeze money out of Malkovich. Pitt’s idiotic dancing and completely muscle-headed decisions provide a few of the film’s funniest moments, but the total package of the performance ends up being extremely hit and miss.
When all is said and done, the Coen brothers have used some low-concept ingredients to cook up yet another high-quality film. It’s good to see that the duo hasn’t lost what made their earlier films so appealing and entertaining. “Burn After Reading” is definitely a must-see film for any fan of extremely dark, high-brow comedies in particular, or the Coens in general.
