Coens in fine comedic form in ‘Burn After Reading’

CIA agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) loses his job and decides to bide his time, when he’s not drinking, by penning his memoirs.

Fri, 06 Feb, 2009 - 20:59

Cert 15

Comedy/Drama/Romance

CIA agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) loses his job and decides to bide his time, when he’s not drinking, by penning his memoirs.

An electronic copy of the manuscript ends up in the possession of gym employee Chad Feldheimer (Pitt) and co-worker Linda Litzke (McDormand), who attempt to blackmail Osbourne.

Meanwhile, his hard-nosed wife Katie (Swinton) revels in an extra-marital affair with serial womaniser Harry Pfarrer (Clooney), who has also begun dating Linda.

After the nerve-racking tension of the Oscar-winning ‘No Country For Old Men’, writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen return to comedic territory with this pithy tale.

Not classic Coen, but there are enough flashes of insanity and brilliance here to keep us smirking.

Star Rating: 4/5