Review of Burn After Reading (2008) by Richard D — 04 Apr 2018
The Coen brothers create a collection of truly terrible people and put them through a labyrinthine plot in one of their darkest comedies. John Malkovich is a CIA analyst drummed out for alcoholism. Tilda Swinton is his unfaithful wife.
George Clooney is her dimwitted lover. Frances McDormand is a health club employee trying to get money for plastic surgery. Brad Pitt is her co-worker. Richard Jenkins in their boss. The plot involves blackmail and Malkovich's memoirs, but it's largely an excuse to put these characters into increasingly complex screwball scenarios.
It's not one of their strongest films ... in fact parts of it are a bit sloppy ... but the characters are strong and it's genuinely funny in a very black way. I like it more than some of their more critically well-received films.
This review of Burn After Reading (2008) was written by Richard D on 04 Apr 2018.
Burn After Reading has generally received positive reviews.
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