"The opening credits suggest a work of serious intrigue: a view of Earth from outer space zeroes in on the east coast ot the US and zooms into what's revealed to be a large building complex nestled in woodland what we'll soon learn is CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia to a soundtrack of propulsive, thundering percussion. From here, it will"
"In one of the Coens' noir-inflected knotted plots, Washington DC gym workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) happen upon a disc containing the raw memoir of former CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) what Chad deduces is highly classified shit and decide to try blackmailing the ex-spook for its return. Meanwhile, Linda begins a dalliance with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a paranoid US marshal who's also having an affair with Osborne's wife Katie (Tilda Swinton)."
"Always given to torturing their characters a little, in Burn After Reading the Coens are merciless, whether they're mocking the Ivy League pomposity of Osborne (who pronounces memoir mim-wah) or self-absorption of Harry (who believes he's starring in his own conspiracy thriller, seeing a potential threat in every passing car and person that looks his way), or they're subjecting one of their principal characters to a sudden, bloody death that's as absurdly funny as it is shocking."
The opening credits show Earth from space before zooming to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, accompanied by propulsive percussion. Washington DC gym workers Linda and Chad find a disc containing a raw memoir by former CIA analyst Osborne Cox and attempt to blackmail him. Linda begins an affair with paranoid US marshal Harry Pfarrer, who is also involved with Osborne's wife Katie. The plot develops as characters chase phantoms, misinterpret information, and walk down blind alleys. The film portrays characters mercilessly, mocking pomposity and self-absorption, and subjecting them to abrupt, darkly comic violence. The film ultimately rejects coherent thematic resolution, emphasizing farce and absurdity over meaning.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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