Funny and neat work from the Coens. A nice concept of mixing the plot and intersecting it with complex characters.

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2008)

Certainly this Coen brothers comedy "Burn After Reading" will not be no Oscar winner like their previous effort "No Country for Old Men", but still the direction and over the top funny story makes this offbeat film one to watch. Many may see this as a spoof crime caper type and in many ways it is as it involves a plot of hidden info and the CIA. Plus for commercial success the all-star cast makes it watchable as each portray interesting characters with different attitudes who's lives intersect with a CD-ROM. John Malkovich is Osborne Cox a recently canned CIA agent who's down on his luck as his relationship with his pediatrician wife the classy and elegant Katie(Oscar winner Tilda Swinton)is about to go up into flames. As on the side Katie is seducing womanizer and federal government employee Harry Dfarrer(George Clooney).So the film has already introduced some complex characters now enter the big plot and theme of the movie two dim-witted fitness gym employees(Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand) come across one of Mr. Cox's old CD-ROM disc of classified information from his CIA days. Then one by one this film presents a fun to watch hoot of mishap and adventures as you see how each conflicted character is drawn together over a simple little disc of information as in the end each life has been shaped differently. Pretty good work from the Coens as the theme and concept was neat and funny even though it may not be a critical success the star power of Pitt, Clooney, McDormand, Malkovich, and Swinton will make it a commercial success. So to sum it up it's a pretty good feel good film to watch that you will have fun with.