A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2008)

After last year's "No Country for Old Men," the Coen brothers decided to take a lighter turn (not really) by directing "Burn After Reading." What can I say about this movie? Well, it reminded me a lot of "Fargo." They're both dark comedies. As you can predict, this film would probably not be their best film to date. However, it's still a really good film.
What I loved about this movie is that it's filled with coincidences. I love these type of movies. This person is friends with that person who is married to this person who's cheating with that same other person who's--you get the point. Seeing this, of course it's going to be confusing if you don't have a paper to write every characters' name down and what relationship they have with the others. But it's not that confusing if you'd think hard enough. It's all part of the fun.
Frances McDormand has, yet again, created a lovable quirky character. John Malkovich, George Clooney, and Tilda Swinton all do a decent job with their roles. However, who stood out the most was Brad Pitt. Other than Heath Ledger's fantastic performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," I think Pitt should get nominated as a supporting role. He's that good because you have never seen him act like the character he plays in your entire life. He also provides a lot of laughs in this film.
Although not the Coen's best film, the movie is pretty good to what it has. It's amazingly short (about 90 minutes), which is a bad thing because I wanted it to be longer. There are equal moments of some funny bits and depressing moments but the film tries its best to lighten up the dark scenes. With it's fantastic characters and semi-confusing plot, this is a must see in the cinemas. Oh, and if you think "Eagle Eye" created paranoia, you haven't seen this film, yet.