Burn After Reading just seems...pointless?

Rating: 6/10 (24 February 2018)

It's been awhile since I've watched a film where I immediately think to myself "...ok, so what did I actually take away from that experience?". Apart from intelligence agencies knowing everything about everyone, potential divorcees gaining stalkers and the idiocy of suburban humans, I really didn't see much point to this. Having said that, its competently made and a pleasant watch. Explaining the plot is like battling Bobby Fischer at chess, you just don't do it. If you like the Coens, ensemble casts and dark humour then go for it and I'm sure you'll have a good time. But basically a bunch of people seemingly (or coincidentally...) are linked with a secret document being misplaced. Where might you ask? Just at the local fitness suite, no biggie. So the staff members hold the proposed recipient at ransom who's wife is cheating on a guy who's wife wants to divorce him but he is seeing other people in which one of them is a staff member at the gym and blah blah blah. It's all mental crazy stupid fun, but to a point where none of this is believable. Is that part of the humour? I guess so. Heck, all I wanted to see was John Malkovich shout profanity at everyone, in which he did so I was pleased. Brad Pitt was surprisingly funny. Frances McDormand had some of the best lines in what was a consistently witty script. George Clooney throws a dildo at the wall in a rage. Tilda Swinton was...present. Richard Jenkins was underused. Finally, JK Simmons leaves us with a summary of what we learnt: "nothing. Or atleast never to do it again". Whilst all the above performances were good with a darkly humorous script and solid direction from the Coens...it just felt messy. The first half which introduces all of our characters spontaneously really wasn't engaging at all. Consistently switching between everyone without establishing a plot. It's only when the characters start connecting that we ourselves connect with the story. However, with all the lunacy and outlandish events the film just abruptly ends. Underwhelming.