The Coen Brothers blow our minds then blow someone’s brains out in their return to screwy form, “Burn After Reading.” And they do it with an A-list cast.
The prolific filmmakers won Oscars and big bank for last year’s less random, more cohesive variation on their unique sensibility. The tense serial killer thriller “No Country For Old Men” moderated the air of misanthropic mockery that distinguishes their oeuvre from “Raising Arizona” to “Fargo” and beyond. “Men” followed a plausible narrative and was sympathetic toward its flawed characters, at least to its “good guys.”
Not this time. One character at the end of today’s spy-spoofing semi-thriller ponders what we were supposed to learn from the impossible tangle of paranoia-induced, ego-fed snafus that just transpired. He practically admits that there was no point to it. Yet, meaningless and insane as the proceedings might be, “Burn After Reading” has its moments of sheer hilarity and observant jabs based at how self-involved, deluded, insatiable and pitiful humans can be.
Set in Washington, with numerous exterior scenes shot around Georgetown and on the Mall, this intermittently comic mind trip features the two staple Coen character types: greedy, low-level morons and heartless, higher-powered morons.
A disc containing the rambling memoirs of disgruntled former CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) is found in the locker room at a local fitness center. Two gym employees, the middle-aged lonely heart Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and clueless jock Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), get hold of it. They decide to blackmail Osborne and sell the disc to the Russians for the money to pay for Linda’s extensive wish list of elective plastic surgery procedures.
Meanwhile, Osborne’s cold wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), is having an affair with chronic adulterer Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). Before long, weirdly and coincidentally, Harry also starts knocking boots with, yes, Linda.
The CIA gets wind of the disc, starts following everyone and becomes a hands-on co-conspirator when events turn violent. But, by then, the story has spun far out of control. The audience can only giggle at the many funny performances and scratch their heads.
Thankfully, those performances are as full-bodied as they are eccentric. Even with Malkovich bellowing and Clooney mugging up a storm, Pitt nearly steals the show as the nonchalant extortionist who bops along to his iPod in his highlight-streaked pompadour.
He’s a hoot even if “Burn” doesn’t quite catch fire.
Quick Info
“Burn After Reading”
3 out of 5 Stars
Stars: Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence
Running time: 95 minutes
