Another well done comedy from the Coen brothers

Rating: 8/10 (23 September 2010)

While the Coen brothers have had their greatest critical successes with their more serious films they have always had a taste for comedy, particularly when it comes to dark humour. "Burn After Reading" is a film that illustrates this tendency.
The film features a serpentine plot built around a pair of vacuous gym employees, an ex-CIA agent, his wife and her lover. When an apparent breach of security opens up potentially lucrative possibilities these varied individuals collide in ways that are both comical and unexpected.
The cast is well-stocked with talented individuals. The always dependable Frances McDormand received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance but in my opinion it was Brad Pitt who gave the best performance. He steals the show as a dim-witted gym employee trying to orchestrate a blackmail plot. John Malkovich is also quite entertaining, whether he's flipping out or going on about his memoirs (the way he says 'memoirs' cracks me up). Tilda Swinton & George Clooney don't do much for me here but I think that's mainly because their characters are less interesting than the others. Meanwhile, the supporting cast is reliable and includes notable contributions from Richard Jenkins and J.K. Simmons in smaller roles.
As always, the direction is appealing, as is the entire visual aspect. Carter Burwell's score isn't particularly worth remarking on but good use is made of the Fugs' "CIA Man" for the closing credits. Overall, the film is solid in its construction but not especially noteworthy.
Ultimately, "Burn After Reading" serves as an entertaining dark comedy that falls just a bit short of the heights that the Coens are capable of. Nevertheless, a minor disappointment for them still equals a standout comedy for anyone else, so I'd recommend giving this flick a shot.